Warped
by Yara Meijer
Summary: Life is normal for the Raimon team until the first-years get a new classmate. Why does he absolutely detest soccer? Why does he hate the soccer team so much? And more importantly… why does he know so much about them? Raimon tries to find out who Matsukaze really is and what he has to do with them. Easier said than done when the only one with the answers isn't willing to give them.
1. A Normal Day

**Hello~**

 **So... yeah. Hi. Welcome to Warped.**

 **To be honest, I actually uploaded this story somewhere else already. It's not finished yet, but I already have written a few chapters. It seemed popular enough and I'm tired and bored so I'm just gonna wing it and upload this, despite knowing I'll be scolding myself tomorrow. Meh. I don't really care.**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys like this. Let me know if you want to read more in the reviews, please, and as usual, just ask questions if you don't understand, I'll answer them to the best of my ability without spoiling too much.**

 _ **Warning: if you don't like blood, please turn back now. This story is quite dark.**_

 **Alright, something else...? Oh yeah, disclaimer. I don't own Inazuma Eleven (GO) guys, only the plot is mine. Everything else belongs to level 5, etc. etc. you know how it goes.**

 **And then last but not least... HAPPY NEW YEAR~!**

 **Well then, enjoy, and...**

 ** _...welcome to Warped._**

* * *

Nishizono Shinsuke yawns as the teacher takes the roll call. Between homework sessions with his friends, soccer training and that new game that game out a few days ago, he's been having a bit of a sleep problem.

''Nishizono Shinsuke,'' calls the teacher.

The small boy looks up. ''Hai!'' he says quickly and soon their teacher finishes the roll call. Shinsuke prepares himself for another boring day, already looking forward to the after school activities – but the teacher surprises him by what he says next.

''Okay everyone.'' The man puts the list with names down and looks at the class. ''Before we start the lesson, I have an announcement to make,'' he says, grabbing the attention of the bored teenagers. ''We are getting a new student tomorrow.''

A wave of noise rises from the class as they start talking with their friends about this new student. ''I wonder what they're like?'' muses Shinsuke's friend, Kageyama Hikaru, curiously. ''Do you think they like soccer?''

''Who knows,'' answers their other friend, Kariya Masaki. ''It would be pretty awesome to have a new member in the soccer club, though…''

The only female friend they have in this class, Sorano Aoi, sighs exasperatedly. ''Mou, boys! Don't start bugging the new student on their first day!'' she scolds gently. The last of their group, Tsurugi Kyousuke, doesn't say anything but nods in agreement.

Kariya, Shinsuke and Hikaru continue talking about the new student until Aoi shushes them. ''Shh! Hiraoka-sensei wants to continue!''

Indeed, their teacher looks very annoyed. ''Settle down, everyone!'' calls Hiraoka. After a few more tries, they finally become silent again. ''Now, I know we don't often get new students, but I want you all to be nice to him and make him feel welcome. Sorano-san,'' his gaze turns to Aoi, who looks at him curiously. ''I would like to show him around tomorrow, okay?''

The girl nods. ''Hai, Hiraoka-sensei.''

The teacher gives her a smile. ''Alright, that was all for now, so we'll start the lesson. I would like you to open your books at page 45…''

Shinsuke opens his book and groans. Another boring day has just begun.

* * *

Tsurugi pulls his shirt over his head, adjusting the collar a bit. The uniform of the High School Raimon team is a bit different from the one from Jr. High. A diagonal line goes from the upper left to the lower right. Under the line the shirt is white, above it the familiar yellow. Furthermore, the sleeves of the uniform are blue, just like the shorts.

Once he's dressed in his soccer jersey, he makes his way to the clubroom where a few of the older players are already waiting for the rest of the team. ''Shindou-san,'' he greets when he sees the wavy-haired teenager.

The game maker looks up from where he was reading a paper given to him by their coach and smiles at his friend. ''Oh, Tsurugi,'' he greets. ''Are the other first-years with you?'' he looks over the forward's shoulder to look for the other juniors.

''They're still changing,'' answer Tsurugi with a nod at the door to the changing rooms. ''They were distracted. We're getting a new student tomorrow,'' he says as explanation.

Shindou looks at him in surprise. ''Oh, really?''

The forward nods and they drop the subject, moving on to other, more important matters, like the strategy for their next match.

Soon after, the first-years finish changing and join their seniors. Not long after, they all head to the outside field, all fired up for practice. Endou is already waiting for them, together with the three managers.

''All right guys, seems like everyone's here!'' grins their coach. He then continues on with explaining their training and soon after, they start their warm-ups.

* * *

It's a few hours later when practice has just ended that the teenagers make their way to the bench in order to get some much-needed water. They drop down on the grass, gratefully accepting the water bottles the managers hand out.

''Nice shot, Shindou,'' says Kirino as he sits down next to his best friend.

The game maker blinks and smiles at him. ''Thanks,'' he responds, but before he can say anything else, he's interrupted by another voice.

''It was really awesome, Captain! Your shots have gotten a lot stronger!'' compliments their youngest keeper, beaming at the wavy-haired captain. Shindou chuckles at his enthusiastic behavior – even after three years, Shinsuke hasn't lost his positive attitude. Though, of course, he has mellowed out a bit. They all have.

The team continues chatting for a bit, but soon they all decide to go home. It's late and their families will be annoyed if they're late for dinner – which happens more often than the team likes to admit, since their training _tends_ to go on longer than expected.

As Shinsuke makes his way to his house, his thoughts wander back to his team. When he first joined them, they were still in junior high, under the rule of the soccer organization Fifth Sector. Back then, Fifth Sector controlled everything – the coaches, the players on the teams, the scores of the matches. Every school was infiltrated by their secret agents, called Seeds. The Seeds controlled the coaches and the other players and if there was anyone who would go against Fifth Sector, they would be removed.

When Shinsuke joined the team, he didn't know about Fifth Sector yet. It was an unpleasant surprise to find out the truth about the sport he had always admired. The first day of Raimon was also the first time he met a Seed, namely Tsurugi Kyousuke, who was ordered by Fifth Sector to replace the Raimon team.

The 'new' Raimon team played a match against the original and they seemed to be winning, until Raimon's captain, Shindou Takuto, brought out a Keshin. Even from his seat in the audience, Shinsuke could feel the immense power coming from both Maestro and Lancelot, Tsurugi's Keshin.

The next few matches, he tried to convince his friends to play real soccer, but it didn't work. Until their new coach came, the famous keeper Endou Mamoru. Coach Endou managed to convince Shindou, Kirino and Sangoku to play free soccer as well, and even Tsurugi joined them when Fifth Sector stooped as low as hurting their team in order to win.

It seemed impossible, but eventually everyone on the team found their resolve to fight for real soccer. And somehow, it worked – they fought, and they won against their opponents. Many obstacles were in their way to victory, but they overcame them and won.

They won against Fifth Sector and things seemed to calm down, until they suddenly met a boy named Fei Rune. He explained that he came from the future – 200 years, to be precise – and that their memories of soccer and the soccer club were removed. Fei, with the help of Yuuichi, Tsurugi's paralyzed brother – who, due to the changes in time, wasn't paralyzed anymore – and the talking bear Wondeba, managed to undo the changes.

But their fight still wasn't over. They needed to stop the ones messing with time – El Dorado, with their Protocol Omega teams – and went on a wild ride through time to stop them. Eventually, they stumbled upon the ideas for the Strongest Eleven in History, and together with the help of the creator, Endou Daisuke, they set out to create the team that could beat El Dorado.

In the end, they found out that their real enemy were the Second Stage Children, an evolved form of humankind. They joined forces with El Dorado in the Ragnarok, a tournament created in order to resolve the conflicts. In the end, the leader of the Second Stage Children and his team turned out to be the last challenge. The Strongest Eleven in History gathered together in order to beat them, despite being incomplete.

They were with ten players in total. Despite the sudden, unexpected arrival of Zanark, who turned out to be player eleven, they never did find number ten.

 _A king of midfielders who makes even the earth his friend with his absolute courage and unwavering ability to get things done._

Looking back on it later, they all agreed such a person would be almost impossible to find – someone who could befriend anyone? Who had 'absolute courage', whatever that meant? Who could get done anything he wanted?

Those qualities didn't really go hand-in-hand – if the midfielder could get everything done, he surely would misuse that ability, right? And that would go against the 'befriend the earth' part. Someone with such a pure, brave heart doesn't exist.

The Strongest Eleven in History beat the Second Stage Children and everything was sorted out. They went back to their original timelines and from there on, it was preparing for the World Championship.

Unfortunately, only two of Raimon were chosen for the National Japanese team, Inazuma Japan. Their ace striker, Tsurugi Kyousuke, and their game maker, Shindou Takuto, who became captain of the new team. Said team turned out to be a bunch of amateurs.

Then it was revealed that they weren't playing in the World Tournament at all, but in the Grand Celesta Galaxy, a universal tournament deciding the fate of the planets. Inazuma Japan, revealed to be the Earth Eleven, were supposed to go to space in order to fight for their planet.

Shinsuke went with them, albeit without permission. Once they were in space, there wasn't much that could be done so he ended up joining the team. After a long and exhausting battle, Earth Eleven found out the truth behind the Grand Celesta Galaxy and, with the help of their friends from other planets, everything sorted out.

They went back to earth and this time _everything_ seemed to be fine. Until it wasn't.

Raimon had been practicing, as usual, when a strange team suddenly showed up and challenged them. They wanted to refuse, until the strange team took their managers hostage – they didn't have a choice but accept.

And that's where the really strange part comes in. _No one,_ not the players, not the managers, not their coaches or any of the other onlookers, remembers anything from the match. Nothing. From the moment the whistle sounded, everything is black.

 _When Shinsuke comes to, the first thing he feels is pain._

 _His whole body is sore. It's familiar, but much worse than any of the other times he's felt it. It's the same pain from all the times that he has been beaten up during a match, when their opponents use the ball as a means to hurt and bruise them. A familiar feeling, yes, but that doesn't make it any less unpleasant._

 _With the soreness, other details slowly start to make themselves known. Like the fact that he's lying on something hard – the ground, probably – and that he can feel the wind, which means he must be outside._

 _With that realization comes the knowledge that it's cold, and he's pretty sure it's only the start of autumn, and pretty dark. No light from the sun to make the inside of his eyelids red. So, considering that's it's cold, outside and that there's a lack of light, it must mean it's either pretty early or quite late._

 _The small keeper tries to open his eyes and after struggling with them for about a minute, he finally manages to do so. The first thing he sees is the green of the grass he's lying on, quickly followed by the dark purple and pink from the sky high above. Seems he was right in his conclusion of being outside, either early or late._

 _His vision is blurry, but after a few moments of focus he can make out moving shapes. One of the shapes comes closer to him until it lowers itself, closer to his current height. ''Shinsuke?'' asks a familiar voice and the keeper blinks slowly. The fog in his mind is making it hard to think and his whole body hurting isn't exactly helping, but he manages to turn his head a little in order to get a better look at the shape. ''Shinsuke, can you hear me?''_

 _It's a female voice that's speaking, quite young. The keeper blinks again and more things start to register, like the gentle hand on his shoulder and the blue- wait blue?_

 _As he realizes that yes, the shape is partly blue, he also figures out the identity of the one talking to him. ''A-Aoi…?'' his voice is hoarse and he winces at the pain in his throat._

 _He can see the girl's face better now and watches how she sighs in relief. ''Thank god!'' she gently helps him sit up and the keeper grabs his head at the pounding headache. ''Are you okay?'' asks the manager worriedly._

'' _W-what happened?'' asks the small boy, looking around the field. His teammates are scattered over the field in similar states, being fussed over by various people – coach Endou, a few of his friends and the Raimon managers._

 _Aoi furrows her eyebrows, biting her lip worriedly. ''Come on, let's go to the others,'' she says, clearly attempting to avoid answering his question. Shinsuke notices it, but before he can point it out he's distracted by his sore and painful limbs as the girl helps him up._

 _They make their way over to the middle of the field, where the rest of Raimon is already gathering. The keeper gratefully sinks down on the grass and observes his teammates._

 _They are all beat up, bruises and scratches decorating their skin. Their uniforms are covered in mud and grass and clearly damaged. They all seem to be in pain, as well._

 _His worry increases as he inspects them longer. They've all been beaten up before, but nothing like this. He's pretty sure there are at least a few broken bones and from the pained expressions, he gathers that it must hurt a lot._

'' _The ambulance is on its way,'' says Endou softly as he walks towards the teens, who are sitting in a circle as the managers hand out water bottles and the adults take care of the wounded. ''It'll be here soon.''_

 _A tension falls over the group. ''Coach…'' starts Kirino, a little bit hesitantly. ''W-what happened? I… don't remember anything…''_

 _A pained expression crosses Endou's face and he shakes his head. ''I don't know. No one can remember anything,'' he says and from the looks he gets from the team, it becomes clear the teenagers don't know anything either. The coach sighs. ''I'm pretty sure you played the match, but…''_

 _At the confused looks from the teenagers, Kidou places a hand on Endou's shoulder. ''The scoreboard,'' says Teikoku's commander and everyone turns to look at it. ''You clearly played two halves.''_

 _And indeed, he's right. The scoreboard shows two logo's, one being the familiar blue and yellow of Raimon, and the other a white circle with a black dot and a purple line around it. Shinsuke's eyes widen at he stares at the total score._

 _13-0 for the unknown team._

 _It seems that they scored six points in the first half and seven in the second, but no matter how he tries to focus, the keeper can't remember anything._

'' _Thirteen…'' breathes Tsurugi, his orange eyes wide with shock. ''What the hell happened?''_

 _They all fall into a tense silence, everyone trying to remember something. Shinsuke looks at the faces of the other people, seeing the same confusion, shock and worry in their eyes that he feels. He's sure he has the same expression._

 _Then his eyes fall on Shindou and the small keeper can't help but frown. Something is… wrong? No, it doesn't seem wrong, yet at the same time it does. Then he realizes. ''Captain,'' he starts and can't help but frown at the title._

 _Somehow, it sounds… wrong. Something tells him that that isn't right – Shindou shouldn't be called captain. Yet… he has always called him captain._

 _For a moment, the whole team looks confused. Then Shindou blinks, the confusion leaving his eyes and being replaced by hesitation. ''…yes?'' he asks, a little bit hesitant._

 _Shinsuke's frown deepens slightly but then disappears. ''You're not wearing the captain band,'' he says. The captain immediately looks at his arm, the rest of the team following, and his eyebrows furrow._

'' _I…'' he seems at a loss for words. ''Maybe our opponents took it,'' he says eventually. Shinsuke feels himself nod in agreement at the statement, just like some of his other teammates, but his gut still tells him that's not right._

 _After all… why would a team just take a captain band? But even so, something in his mind tells – no, screams at him that Shindou is correct. It's like an annoying itch that only dies down when the keeper agrees with it._

 _He lets it slip from his mind as he hears sirens and realizes the ambulance must be here. There are more important things to think about now. His injured teammates, for example, and the gap in his memory._

 _And last but certainly not least, the main questions. Who were their opponents and what have they done to Raimon?_

* * *

 **So? What'dya think? Was it good? Was it bad? Did it suck? Are you freaking out right now? Are you triggered? Are you crying? Screaming? Are you as bored as I am at the moment?**

 **Well... anyone want to read the next chapter?**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	2. The New Student

**Hello people~!**

 **Just so you know, I'm not sorry for this chapter.**

 **WARNING: CONTAINS BLOOD, TORTURE, LANGUAGE, JUST ALL KINDS OF BAD STUFF. But, well, it's rated T, what do you expect?**

 **Well then, onto the reviews, hm~?**

 _ **DestinyDystopia:**_ **Glad you liked it~! The identity of the new student is written in the summary... well, it's a little more complicated than brainwashing and blackmailing, but I'm not going to spoil~! You'll just have to wait and see~! I'm glad you enoy my stories :) And you're welcome~!**

 _ **Dierengek:**_ **I'm happy you like it. Well, you don't even have to guess who the new student is, it's written in the summary! ;) Hm, I'm not sure yet. I don't know if people like this, it'll be pretty dark at some points, so yeah. I'll just wait and see before making a decision.**

 _ **Eme Hire:**_ **...I'm going to be completely honest, Eme, I don't even know how to respond to that XD I'm happy you liked it, though~!**

 _ **SaltyCandy:**_ **Wow, someone's happy! :D Glad you liked it so much! Thanks, I tried my best. So, the mystery was good? This story is going to have a lot of it~! And angst. Lots and lots of angst. Hurt/comfort too, friendship and a bit of drama, I guess! I'm kind of trying to step out of the stories I've written so far by making this 1) a _lot_ darker yet still written 'lightly', or at least a slightly as possible and 2) it contains way more mystery than my previous works.**

 _ **Guest:**_ **No spoilers~! ;P**

 _ **sonia kumar:**_ **Glad you liked it. Yep, it's the same Warped as on Wattpad~!**

 _ **Coco Baldwin:**_ **I'm happy you enjoyed it so far, I hope you like this one as well~!**

 **Anything else... oh yeah, disclaimer.**

 **DISCLAIMER: Don't own Inazuma Eleven, only the plot is mine, etc. etc. we all know how it goes~!**

 **Anyway, onto the story~! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _A snap echoed through the room, followed by a pained scream. Blood flowed from a dozen cuts, littering the boy's chest, dripping on the white metal floor and adding to the dried pools already there. An arm, bent at an unnatural angle, bruises so dark that they looked black._

 _The scream died down, replaced by hoarse sobbing as tears streamed from blueish grey eyes. ''S-stop…'' a breathless whisper, almost inaudible, broke through the sobs._

 _The person kneeling next to the broken figure on the ground smiled, throwing the knife he held in the air and catching it with his other hand. ''What was that?'' he asked, but his only answer was a defeated sob. ''You will have to talk a bit louder than that.''_

 _A shuddering breath. ''P-plea…se… st-stop…'' still a whisper, though a little louder and clearer this time. Pained, exhausted._

 _The teen shook his head, his friendly smile growing. ''You know we won't do that,'' he said, as if informing about the weather. ''We're not even close to halfway done!'' he added cheerfully and the figure whimpered._

'' _Y-you won't… get a-away… w-with th-this…'' he breathed. If it was supposed to be threatening, it failed miserably. Greyish blue eyes, filled with pain and fear, also shone with hope and trust. ''Th-they will… c-come…''_

 _The teenager laughed loudly, the sound echoing through the room, almost dropping his knife. He laughed so hard that his navy blue eyes filled with tears that threatened to roll down his cheeks. ''You should know by now,'' he said through his chuckles, ''that they won't.'' He grinned cheerfully. ''It's been two months. How long do you think you can hold on?''_

 _The prisoner stayed silent, his gaze lowering to the bloodstained floor. The teenager's grin grew, almost predatory, as he stared down at the boy's fragile form. ''We've made bets, you know,'' he continued. ''Some thought you would break weeks ago, others thought you would hold on a little longer.'' He shrugged, turning the knife around in his hands. ''You're surprisingly strong for someone so… delicate,'' he decided on after searching for the right word for a few moments._

 _Blueish grey eyes darted upwards to meet dark navy. The teenager smirked at the prisoner and grabbed his chin, his grip just forceful enough to hurt. ''They all laughed at me when I said all of them would lose a lot of money,'' he said, turning the boy's head a bit while observing him carefully. ''But now they seem to be quite hesitant. You've hold on longer than most guys here.''_

 _He adjusted his grip on the knife and placed it against the prisoner's cheek, almost tenderly. The boy's eyes widened in fear but he didn't say anything as his captor continued speaking. ''Hm… I wonder, what would you look like if I played with your pretty little face a bit?'' he mused and the prisoner shivered._

 _The teenager smiled a dark, predatory smile. ''Well, I suppose there's only one way to find out, hm?'' he dragged the dagger down the boy's cheek, applying a little pressure so he would feel it, but not enough to break the skin. ''So many options…'' he muttered._

 _His navy blue eyes settled on the prisoner's grey ones. ''You're doing pretty well,'' he said suddenly and the prisoner's orbs filled with confusion. The captor apparently noticed it, for he explained further. ''Most of our prisoners have broken long before they even reached this point. The few who didn't would give in soon. But you… your body is damaged, badly, from physical torture. We've been inflicting a lot of mental torture on you as well, and yet… you still have hope. You still know happiness, love, trust. It's shocking, really, but it's also exciting,'' he growled, a smirk growing on his face._

'' _I want to break you,'' said the teen as he trailed the knife towards the prisoner's eye. ''I really, really want to break you. I want to see you fall into despair when you realize no one is coming for you. That you've been abandoned by those you trusted most.'' He adjusted his grip on the knife again, pulling it away from the boy's face. A deranged smile lit up his face. ''Ne, won't you break for me?'' his eyes shimmered with anticipation. ''Won't you scream for me? Won't you bleed for me?''_

 _The prisoner's face was filled with fear as the captor laughed, this time a laugh filled with insanity. ''Bleed for me! Scream!'' with that the teenager harshly grabbed the boy's unnaturally bend arm and a scream tore itself from his lungs, echoing through the room and only growing stronger as the captor tightened his grip on the broken limb._

'' _You'll never get out.'' His loud voice had lowered to a whisper, his navy eyes staring down at the tearstained face of the prisoner. ''We're going to take everything you have until there's nothing left. We'll take it all, until you are nothing more but a broken shadow, waiting for death. I promise you, we will break you.''_

 _When he finished speaking, he stood up from his kneeling position and looked down on the fragile form of the prisoner. The boy had his eyes closed and looked for all the world to be unconscious, but the teenager new better._

'' _Tch.'' He adopted a thoughtful expression and after a few moments grinned deviously. ''Take this,'' he said and then proceeded to deliver a harsh kick to the boy's stomach._

 _The prisoner gasped and a choked scream left his lips as his eyes flew open. The captor smirked and continued the rain of kicks, mostly directed at the boy's stomach and chest. Short, pained screams left the prisoner's lips as he choked on blood._

 _After what felt like an eternity, the captor finally stopped his kicking. He inspected his work for a few moments. The boy was gasping and choking on blood, barely able to get enough air to his lungs. Tears fell down his cheeks and the captor could already see bruises forming on his thin body._

 _The teenager smirked and turned around, walking towards a white door in an equally white wall. He opened it and just before he slipped outside he looked over his shoulder. ''Until next time.'' With that he quickly left the room and closed the door behind him, a click accompanying it as it was locked._

* * *

One Nishizono Shinsuke yawns as the teacher finishes the roll call and puts the list with names away. Raimon's keeper really isn't a morning person and the morning practice doesn't help much with his energy for the day. As cheerful he is during training, it leaves him completely drained for the rest of the school day.

Their teacher immediately starts their lesson, unlike the day before, where he started with news of a new students. Speaking of the new students, they should arrive somewhere today. Shinsuke secretly hopes they'll come soon, because he's already bored out of his mind and class only started ten minutes ago.

Unfortunately for the small keeper, luck doesn't seem to favor him today, for the minutes pass by without an interruption. He really tries to keep his attention on the lesson, but his mind keeps wandering back to the soccer team. He'd do anything to be able to play with his friends right now, but instead he's stuck in a boring classroom.

A look around the classroom tells him he's not alone in his suffering. Hikaru next to him is clearly trying to pay attention and make notes, but the purple-haired boy can't seem to stop yawning. On Hikaru's other side has Kariya already given up on paying attention, like usual. The tealhead is doodling in his notebook instead, his eyelids drooping slightly.

Aoi, who sits in front of Kariya, is being responsible as always and attentively taking notes. No surprise there – their female friend always tries to do her best in class. Last but certainly not least is Tsurugi, who almost seems to be sleeping. His head is leaning on his hand and his eyes are closed, but Shinsuke knows he's awake and paying attention.

With a sigh, the keeper turns his attention back to the lesson, throwing a look at the clock every so often. The time seems to pass at a snail's pace, the seconds ticking by almost seeming to mock him. Shinsuke has to withhold a groan as his eyes return to the board and he starts to copy the notes written there.

Finally a knock breaks the monotonous morning and the teacher stops as he and the students look at the door. A moment later it opens, showing one of the other teachers. ''Hano-san,'' greets their teacher surprised.

Hano smiles at him. ''I apologize for interrupting, Hiraoka-san, but the new student is here,'' he says and opens the door wider. A second figure, clad in the blue Raimon boys' uniform, can be seen standing next to the teacher.

Hiraoka blinks and then smiles widely. ''Oh yes, the new student. Thank you, Hano-san.''

Hano nods. ''I will leave him in your care, then,'' says the man and turns his attention to the new student. ''This is your homeroom class. Hiraoka-san is your homeroom teacher.''

The boy probably bows, but it's not easy to see from where he's standing. ''Thank you, Hano-sensei.'' The voice is not very deep yet holds a chilly ring to it that sends shivers down the listeners' spines, Shinsuke's included. Then the boy enters the classroom, Hano closing the door behind him, and the class finally gets a good look at him.

He's of average height and has a lithe body. He seems very thin, almost underweight, giving him a very frail and delicate look, like a gust of wind could knock him over. His skin is slightly tanned, probably from being outside a lot, but has a sickly shade to it. The whirlwind-shaped hair is brown and a bit of a mess, but it's not unattractive at all, despite being quite dull and thin. His face is schooled in a cool, indifferent mask, not giving any of his thoughts away.

And then there are his eyes. Shinsuke swallows nervously at the sight of them. They are a stormy grey with just the tiniest hints of blue and silver. The look in them is cold and apathetic, holding shadows that seem to lower the temperature by at least ten degrees.

Hiraoka doesn't seem to notice it, however, as he smiles welcomingly at the boy. ''Welcome to Raimon High School. Like Hano-san already told you, I am your homeroom teacher, Hiraoka Shin. How about you tell the class something about yourself?'' he suggests. ''Name, age, likes, dislikes?''

The boy's stormy eyes seem to darken for a bit and the way he narrows them is almost unnoticeable, but it still sends a shiver down Shinsuke's spine. Then it is gone and he nods. ''Of course, sensei,'' he answers smoothly and turns to the class. ''My name is Matsukaze Tenma,'' he says, the syllables rolling of his tongue gracefully. ''I am sixteen years old. I like being on my own and I dislike interacting with others.''

Hiraoka nods, a bit taken aback by the student's behavior. ''Well, everyone is different,'' he mutters as he scans the classroom. ''There's a seat left next to Sorano-san,'' he says. ''Sorano-san, please raise your hand. Ah, and you mind were supposed to show Matsukaze-kun around later on, right?''

''Yes, sensei,'' says Aoi as she raises her hand. The boy's gaze shoots towards her and turn even colder than before. Then his eyes return to the teacher, narrowing to a glare. Shinsuke can't help but wonder – why does he look like he absolutely loathes the idea of sitting next to the blue-haired girl?

Hiraoka turns back to the brunet. ''Alright, do you have any questions?''

Stormy grey eyes narrow again as he looks at his new classmates icily. ''No, sensei,'' his voice seems even more chilly than before and he bows to the classroom. ''Please take care of me.''

As he bows, Shinsuke can't help but think that the boy sounded like he wanted anything but to be taken care of.

And then stormy grey eyes meet his and suddenly fill with so much ice, that the small boy can't help but freeze in his seat.

Long after the brunet has sat down at his new desk and Hiraoka has continued the lesson, Shinsuke is still frozen. He keeps seeing those grey orbs, looking as if they could freeze hell itself over, and can't help but wonder…

Why does the new student, who he has never met before, look like he hates him with every fiber of his being?

* * *

''Matsukaze-kun?''

The new student's gaze shifts to the source of the sound. A girl is standing next to his desk, wearing the Raimon girls' uniform with a blue skirt and a yellow bow. Her eyes are blue, while her hair is a few shades darker and stops just above her shoulders.

Tenma's stormy grey eyes darken. ''Yes?'' he manages to spit out through gritted teeth.

The bluenette swallows a bit nervously. ''Uh… I-I'm Sorano Aoi,'' she introduces herself, stuttering a bit from surprise. She recovers quickly enough, though. ''Hiraoka-sensei asked me to show you around. So if you'd accompany me…'' she trails off when the brunet shoots her a cold glare.

''Very well.'' At least he doesn't sound like he's forcefully stopping himself from strangling her anymore. Instead he now sounds like he's calmly plotting a murder, even as he gathers his books in his bag. ''Well, lead the way then.''

Aoi nods and attempts a smile. ''Um, my friends will probably join us, if you don't mind.''

Stormy grey eyes narrow in annoyance and anger, yet just as quickly as it came it is replaced by apathetic indifference. ''Of course,'' answers the brunet smoothly.

The girl's smile turns relieved as she turns around, gesturing for some people to come closer. When they've arrived, Aoi gestures to a boy with dark eyes and purple hair. He's quite short for a sixteen-year-old yet obviously fit. ''This is Kageyama Hikaru,'' says the girl.

Hikaru gives the brunet a friendly smile. ''Nice to meet you!''

Aoi then nods to a boy with messy, teal-colored hair that reaches his shoulders and narrowed, mischievous, yellowish brown eyes. ''Kariya Masaki.''

Kariya grins a feral grin. ''Pleasure to meet ya.''

The next one to be introduced is a short boy with brown hair and a blue headband. His eyes are a dark brown and he is by far the shortest one of the group. ''That's Nishizono Shinsuke.''

The small boy smiles as well. ''Nice to meet you, Matsukaze-kun!''

Lastly, the bluenette girl gestures to a pale boy with navy blue hair and sharp, orange eyes. ''And that's Tsurugi Kyousuke.'' The navy-haired teen just nods in greeting.

Tenma scans them all with an unreadable look in his eyes. ''Pleasure,'' he mutters finally, yet his voice shows that it's all but.

The other five students share a look and then Aoi looks back at the brunet with a smile. ''Well, let's go then!'' the boy rolls his eyes and stands up, grabbing his bag.

* * *

The next twenty minutes, they show him around the whole school. The library, the classrooms, the gym. Eventually they make their way to the school's entrance. ''Well, there's only the outside left,'' says Aoi. ''That's where most of the sport clubs are located – tennis, basketball, all those things. Our club as well.''

''The soccer club,'' concludes Tenma apathetically.

His classmates share a surprised look. ''How do you know that, Matsukaze-kun?'' asks Shinsuke for all of them.

The brunet rolls his eyes. ''If you hadn't noticed, soccer is the most important sport in Japan. You guys are famous and your faces are everywhere. Of course I'd notice,'' he responds as if stating the obvious.

An awkward silence falls between them as the five friends look hesitantly at the brunet. Eventually Hikaru speaks up. ''Do you like soccer, Matsukaze-kun?''

Tenma freezes and then scowls. ''Of course I don't,'' he spats icily. ''I'd rather jump off a bridge than touch a soccer ball.''

The others are speechless once they hear that statement. After a moment of awkwardness, Aoi speaks up again. ''Um, would you mind if we go to the soccer club for a moment? We need to drop off our stuff and tell the senpai why we're late.''

The brunet raises an eyebrow. ''About that, why are those guys here?'' he asks the girl, gesturing to the other boys who gape at his rudeness, though the new students doesn't seem to care. ''Hiraoka-sensei asked Sorano to lead me around, not all of _you.''_ He glares at the boys, his eyes filled with more hatred than a person should be capable of.

Tsurugi narrows his eyes and returns the glare. ''What is your problem?'' he asks, ice lacing his voice.

Tenma rolls his eyes and turns to Aoi, completely ignoring the striker. ''Well, are we going or what? I don't want to spend a minute more than I absolutely have to in that hellhole you call a club.''

The girl frowns, obviously insulted at his words. Even so, she nods and starts to walk in the direction of the soccer building, her male classmates following her in silence.

Not long after they reach it, Tenma's eyes darkening when they do, and walk past the soccer building. A few minutes later they arrive at the field. They walk closer to the field, revealing the older members of Raimon's soccer club.

''Guys, where were you?'' asks Shindou as he spots the first-years. Then his eyes fall on the unfamiliar face. ''And who's this?''

Aoi smiles politely, but it's clearly not a happy smile. ''This is Matsukaze Tenma, a new classmates of ours. We were showing him around.''

Shindou nods and inspects the brunet. Average height with a lithe body that seems almost fragilely thin, messy brown hair and a tanned skin yet with a sickly shade to it. Then their eyes meet and the captain recoils at the freezing hatred in those stormy grey orbs.

''An _honor_ to meet you, oh amazing champions of Japanese youth soccer,'' says the brunet, not an inch of respect in his tone. ''How miraculous that I, a lowlife being, am allowed to stand in your godly presence,'' he adds, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

He smiles mockingly at the stunned looks shot his way by the soccer players. It only takes a moment for the shock to be replaced by anger and their stunned looks turn into glares. ''What's your problem?'' asks Kurama, narrowing his eyes at the brunet. ''Know your place, first-year!''

Tenma rolls his eyes. ''I apologize for my rudeness, _senpai,''_ he sneers. ''Sorry that not everyone in the school kisses the ground you walk on.'' Then he fakes a gasp. ''Oh my, what am I doing? Treating the ones who did _so much_ for the soccer world like this!''

Shindou can see the anger in Kurama's eyes grow and decides to step in. ''That's enough. Kurama, he's just trying to rile you up.'' The forward locks his eyes with the captain's for a few moments but then nods. Shindou turns his gaze to the brunet. ''Matsukaze, do you have a problem with my team?''

Stormy grey eyes narrow to a full-out glare. ''Let me get one thing straight,'' hisses the brunet icily. ''I don't like you. As a matter of fact, I _hate_ you. I don't want anything to do with you. I am perfectly content with never seeing your faces again, but since we go to the same school, I'll settle for never interacting with you.'' His voice is harsh and sends shivers down the spines of the other people present. ''So do us all a favor and _leave me the fuck alone.''_ He looks at his classmates when he says those last words.

With that he turns around and starts to leave the field. After having walked a few feet, he looks over his shoulder. ''Oh by the way, Sorano.'' The girl stiffens when she hears her name. ''I think I can make my way around the school perfectly on my own, so don't concern yourself with showing me around anymore. Not like I wanted your help in the first place.''

He continues walking, not looking back at his ex-team.

' _Fuck them.'_

* * *

 **I'm not sorry for this :D**

 **So~ learned some new things, didn't we? A flashback, Tenma hates Raimon for some reason, Raimon doesn't know him even though Tenma, apparently, used to be part of the team. Any ideas what happened? I'm curious to know what you all think~!**

 **Honestly, this story wasn't supposed to be longer than about ten chapters, but I'm working on chapter five and I' only getting more ideas... ehehe... well, I gues we'll just have to wait and see what's going to happen, don't we? Even I don't know how this story will end~!**

 **Let me know if I should upload more chapters of this~!**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	3. The Challenge

**Hello everyone! Here's chapter three of Warped! As usual, I don't own Inazuma Eleven (GO) or any of the chracters. Only the plot is mine.**

 _ **DestinyDystopia:**_ **Poor Tenma indeed. Yes, I hate torture guy too, but he's perfect for his role~! Can't wait to find out more, huh... sorry, that'll take a bit longer! It's supposed to be mystery, after all~ Sarcastic/sort-of-evil Tenma is awesome. About Sasuke, Aki is taking care of him, so he's fine, don't worry! :)**

 _ **Dierengek:**_ **I'm happy you like it so far~!**

 _ **sonia kumar:**_ **Yeah, those are the questions, hm? Well, I'm not going to spoil it! It's a mystery fic, after all~! ;)**

 _ **Dj rebel k:**_ **Hai, hai~!**

 _ **BlackCloud11234:**_ **Glad you liked it~!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Ahahaha, oops. Should I apologize? XD**

 _ **Mistylove:**_ **I can't wait either! I'm having a little trouble with chapter five, but don't worry, it should be done soon!**

 _ **Coco Baldwin:**_ **Cold-hearted Tenma is awesome ;) Thanks, I'm happy you love it so much~**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Aye aye, capt'n!**

 **So, that was it for the reviews. Thanks guys, it's fun to read your reactions and it motivates me to write more! Well then, lets get to it, hm~?**

* * *

''What is his _problem?!_ I've _never_ met someone so rude!'' Kurumada snarls as he punches the wall of the clubroom. ''It's making me so angry!''

''You're not the only one,'' growls Amagi, who is clearly pissed off as well. ''We've never even _met_ the guy before and he's acting all high and mighty like that.''

Shindou frowns as he watches his team, all in various stages of anger and frustration. He can't say he doesn't understand their reactions – he's pretty furious himself, but holding it back for the sake of the team. ''Guys, calm down,'' he orders firmly.

''Calm down?'' repeats Kurama incredulously. ''Didn't you hear what that guy said, Shindou?!''

The captain can feel his patience being tested. ''Of course I did, Kurama-san!'' he snaps, surprising his teammates. The game maker takes a moment to calm his breathing, feeling the anger die down a little. ''But getting worked up about it is not going to work. I don't know why Matsukaze seems to hate us so much, but if we stay calm and think logically we might be able to figure it out.''

His words seem to reach the other soccer players, for they all return to their seats and sit down. Some are having more trouble with staying calm than others, but at least they're making an effort.

''Tell us exactly what happened from the moment you saw him,'' requests Kirino, turning to look at their first-year members.

They share a look and Shinsuke is the one to answer. ''Well, it all seemed pretty normal when he walked in, but…'' he shrugs uncomfortable. ''He was pretty cold to Hiraoka-sensei and it seemed like he was disgusted by simply being in the classroom. Hiraoka-sensei asked Aoi to show him around later, and…''

The older members of the team share looks as the youngest keeper trails off. ''And what?'' asks Sangoku carefully.

The first-year manager is the one to answer. ''He didn't protest or anything, but it really looked like he hated the idea.'' She looks down and Midori puts a hand on her shoulder.

''Hey, cheer up girl!'' grins the third-year manager. ''You're an amazing person and if that bastard can't see that, it's his loss!'' The other members of the soccer club nod in agreement and Aoi cracks a smile at that.

They turn back to the other first-years when Shinsuke continues. ''He didn't do or say much, but…'' the small boy trails off hesitantly.

''But what?'' asks Kirino gently. ''What happened?''

The youngest keeper shrugs. ''We made eye contact and… well, I don't think I've ever seen anyone look at me with so much hatred.'' He shivers slightly as he remembers the stormy grey eyes. ''But I- I know for sure I've never met him before…''

They fall into silence, everyone teenager trying to think of an explanation. After a few moments pass, Shindou looks around at the faces of his teammates. They all seem to be bothered by Matsukaze's behavior – not that he can blame them.

The captain's eyes move towards the ace striker and brown meets orange. ''You think…'' says Tsurugi after a moment, catching the attention of his friends, ''jealousy?''

The others seem to think over the suggestion, but Shindou immediately shakes his head. ''To such an extent of hate? No way,'' he says without an inch of doubt. ''I get some people are jealous of our fame and success, but with Matsukaze it seemed much more than that. Yet…'' he sighs, gently massaging his temples at the growing headache. ''…I can't think of anything we could've done to him if we've never even met him. I'm not saying we're saints or something, but for Matsukaze to hate us so much without knowing us? I can't think of any reason.''

The silence returns. They all know Shindou is right. It's uncanny for someone to detest them so much without ever having met before. ''What if we did meet him before?'' asks Hamano.

They all look at him in various states of confusion. ''What do you mean?'' Hayami asks his best friend, his eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement.

The navy-haired midfielder shrugs, frowning thoughtfully. ''Maybe a fan?'' he suggests, a little uncertainly. ''Or maybe an opponent we played before?''

''Maybe,'' agrees Kurama half-heartedly. ''But even so, it's pretty unlikely – we're not cruel to our opponents, so why would he react like this? Maybe he'd be angry, but hating us as much as he seems to do is pretty strange.''

Even so, no one comes up with a better explanation. After a while of quietness, Shindou's sigh breaks it and all eyes turn to him. ''It's getting late and we should go home,'' he says after a while. ''Let's just… think about it for a while, okay? There's nothing we can do about Matsukaze now,'' adds the captain. Then he looks at their first-years. ''In the meantime, be careful, alright? We don't know what Matsukaze is capable of. I'd rather have you stay out of his way and be safe then accidentally angering him or something – who knows what he would do.''

The tension in the clubroom increases. For their captain and strategist to say something like that means that Shindou believes the situation to be very serious. It doesn't do much to settle their worries.

Hikaru hesitantly voices the question on all of their minds. ''But… Matsukaze-kun said he didn't want anything to do with us,'' he says softly.

Shindou nods, his eyes narrowing slightly. ''He did, but who knows if he really meant it? And if he did, who knows what he'd do if we still got in his way?'' the game maker shakes his head, his voice leaving no room for debate. ''No, rather safe than sorry. Stay out of his way.''

* * *

Shindou's worries seem to be unneeded, for Matsukaze Tenma doesn't bother them again. He doesn't say a word to them and ignores them for the most part, even Aoi, who sits next to him. His soccer playing classmates have followed their captain's advice and, besides a few wary glances, haven't reached out to him either.

Of course there are moments in which Tenma's hatred for them resurfaces again. When he's paired up with any of the five soccer club members in his class, his eyes will darken and he'll watch them warily and icily. When he sees any of the older soccer players in the halls, he'll either ignore them or glare hatefully.

Despite the tense truce between the soccer club and the new student, neither party seems any less wary of the other. Or rather, the soccer club isn't less wary of Tenma – the brunet seems to know exactly how and why.

Before they actually realize, a little over two weeks have passed since Matsukaze Tenma transferred to Raimon. The soccer club allows themselves to relax just a little bit, seeing as the brunet hasn't done anything yet, but they keep a close eye on him.

The teenager is an outcast in every sense of the word. Spiteful, mysterious and cold, he hasn't made any effort yet in making friends. He's polite enough, surprisingly, to his classmates and the teachers, but they all seem to notice the dark aura surrounding him, at least unconsciously, so they haven't tried to get close to him either.

The initial rush of a new student has died down a few days after Tenma's first appearance and life seems to go on like normal. The brunet keeps his promise of staying out of the soccer club's way and everything seems fine.

That is, until Matsukaze Tenma doesn't show up for school.

It's not all that surprising, honestly. The brunet, no matter how spiteful and cold, doesn't look like the healthiest person on earth with his sickly pale skin and his thin frame. In fact, it almost seems like a strong gust of wind could knock him over.

He stays away for exactly three days, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. When the first-years first informed their captain and friends about this fact, they all seemed surprised and wary, but they didn't say all that much.

Thursday morning is different. The five first-years are making their way to their classroom, not as late as Kariya would usually be but also not as early as Aoi would like to be, chatting cheerfully. They sit down in their seats, luckily all close to each other, never ceasing their conversation.

Class is about to start, only two minutes before the final bell rings. ''And then I-'' Hikaru's voice suddenly stops in the middle of his sentence and his dark eyes widen. ''Oh my god.''

His friends turn to see what he's looking at and their eyes widen when they do.

Matsukaze Tenma makes his way inside the classroom and he looks absolutely _horrible._

The sickly shade they have gotten used to has been exchanged for an unnatural paleness. Even with his slightly-tanned skin, the brunet seems to be deadly pale, more like a corpse than a living human. If he was noticeably thin before, now it's impossible to miss. He seems to have lost ten pounds in less than a week, his uniform not even getting close to hiding it. Dark rings, a stark contrast to the deadly white of his skin, are under his eyes. His stormy grey orbs, usually cold and strong, are tired and dull.

Last but not least, his posture is completely different. Instead of distant and confident, his shoulders are slumped forward and he seems to be trembling from the effort of dragging himself to school.

All in all, it seems like he could collapse at any given moment.

The five soccer club members are not the only ones to have noticed, for a rush of whispers and murmurs rise up from the class when they see their newest classmate in this state. Hiraoka frowns worriedly as well as he takes in his student.

Tenma doesn't pay them any attention and instead walks towards his seat. He drops his bag on his desk and sits down quickly, swaying a little. He takes a few moments to regain his balance and then quickly grabs his books, just as the final bell rings.

Hiraoka quickly starts the lesson and takes the roll call. When he reaches the name of the newest student, he pauses. ''Matsukaze-kun, I see you're back.'' The brunet just nods stiffly at his words and the teacher frowns, concern shining in his eyes. ''Are you sure it's a good idea to be here? You don't seem very healthy.''

Tenma simply rolls his eyes. ''I am fine, sensei,'' he tells the teacher. His voice is hoarse and only listening to it already sounds painful.

The man doesn't seem to believe him but a weak glare convinces him to continue the lesson.

No one dares to ask Tenma about his health after that.

* * *

''So that's the new student, huh.''

Matatagi doesn't seem very impressed as he observes the sickly brunet. ''He doesn't seem all that much to me,'' says the forward eventually. ''He actually looks like he could fall over and die at any moment.''

His friends are used to his harsh demeanor by now, so no one comments on his choice of words. Instead both the Raimon and Earth Eleven teams keep their gazes on the figure of Matsukaze Tenma.

''My god,'' says Shindou softly. ''I know you said he looked bad, but this…''

It's only a day after Tenma's return to school, coincidentally also the same day that Earth Eleven is visiting their Raimon friends. The first-years, of course, told their teammates about the brunet's return and his physical condition, but this is the first time they see it for real.

''What's he even doing here?'' asks Kirino, a frown decorating his face. ''I know missing three days of classes isn't all that great, but still… if he's still that sick, I don't know why his parents would let him go to school at all.''

The closer the brunet gets to the soccer field, the better they can see him, and everyone has to agree that Tenma indeed looks very sick. Practice has barely started and their coach hasn't shown up yet, so the soccer teams take their sweet time in observing the new student on his way home.

The brunet doesn't seem to have noticed them yet, but that changes the moment he looks in their direction and freezes.

He's only a few meters away from the soccer field so they can all clearly see the glare he shoots them. ''Something wrong?'' he asks them, his voice a little louder than in a normal conversation to cross the distance. It's still very hoarse and scratchy, but Tenma doesn't seem to notice as he stares icily at the soccer teams.

''No,'' calls Shindou back after taking a moment to contemplate if he should answer or not. ''Just wondering if it's such a good idea for you to be at school yet.''

The icy glare intensifies. ''Not that it's any of _your_ concern, but I am perfectly fine,'' he tells them and even the distance doesn't hide the venom in his voice. Then his eyes settle on the players clad in the Earth Eleven jerseys. ''So, brought your friends from Inazuma Japan, didn't you?''

The brunet walks closer to the field so he won't be in the way of the other students heading home. He crosses his arms, his glare still fixed on both soccer teams.

''Got a problem with it?'' asks Matatagi, smirking at the brunet. It's clear that he's trying to provoke the Raimon student, but Tenma doesn't take the bait.

''Of course not,'' he says instead. ''I'm just surprised that a bunch of amateurs like you are still playing soccer. I seem to recall that none of you wanted to play in the first place, hm?''

If Matatagi is surprised by his words, he doesn't show it. ''Oh, got a fan, don't we?'' he taunts instead.

Tenma snorts spitefully. ''A fan, you say?'' he repeats. ''No thanks. Why would I be a fan of such pathetic losers like the Earth Eleven?'' he asks and everyone freezes.

No one is supposed to know about the Earth Eleven.

The brunet smirks slightly, knowing he has successfully grabbed their attention. ''What's with those looks?'' he asks mockingly. ''Shocked that I know about that little secret of yours?'' he grins, and despite his sick and exhausted look, it still sends shivers down their spines. ''Trust me when I tell you this, Raimon.'' Hatred reflects in his grey orbs. ''I know far more about you than you know about me.''

''How?'' demands Ibuki. Earth Eleven's keeper is the first one to have found his voice again after the shock of someone knowing about their true identities. ''How do you know that?''

Tenma simply smiles mockingly. ''Wouldn't you like to know?''

''Tell us!'' demands Tetsukado, anger clear in his voice. ''Those are state secrets! No one should know, especially not someone like you!''

The brunet stares at him blankly for a few seconds, before responding vocally. ''Why should I? You can't make me tell you. Besides, I'm not doing anything with this information.''

The soccer teams fall into silence as they consider his words. It's true, they realize – there's no way they can force him to talk. Perhaps if they informed Gouenji about the brunet's knowledge, but they can't do anything else.

They are all caught off guard, however, by Tsurugi's voice. ''Let's make a deal, then.''

Tenma's grey eyes widen slightly in surprise. ''A deal, you say?'' he repeats, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

The ace striker nods. ''Yes. We won't stop bugging you if you don't tell us, and judging from our first meeting, you don't like that.''

The brunet seems to think his words over. After a few tense moments of silence, in which the Raimon and Earth Eleven teams are impatiently waiting for his reaction and hoping that Tsurugi knows what he's doing, Tenma nods.

''I suppose you're right about that,'' he says finally. ''What do you have in mind?''

He gets a few surprised looks – no one expected him to actually listen to Tsurugi – but the navy-haired forward himself doesn't seem shaken at all. ''One-on-one. First one to score a goal wins. I win, you tell us what we want to know. All of it.'' His voice leaves no room for debate, his blazing orange orbs challenging the brunet to accept.

The new students simply raises an eyebrow. ''Everything, hm?'' he repeats and Tsurugi nods. ''If I win, you'll leave me alone,'' he demands simply. Then, after a moment of thoughtful silence, he adds something else. ''And if I _ever_ tell you to leave something to me, you will.''

The strange request is met with confused stares. Tsurugi frowns in thought, but then slowly nods. ''Fine, as long as you don't misuse it,'' he agrees eventually.

Tenma nods. ''Then it's a deal. Now, how about those rules for the one-on-one?'' he asks as he moves onto the field. He drops his bag next to the bench and watches the ace striker expectantly.

Tsurugi has already thought this through and knows exactly what to say. ''You and me. I score first, I win. You score first, you win. No Keshin, no Soul. Hissatsu are fine. No foul play. No positions – we'll play everything at once, except for keeper. No use of hands in order to stop a shot.''

The brunet nods again. ''Alright, sounds fair.'' He moves onto one half of the field, stretching a bit.

''Are you sure this is a good idea?'' asks Shindou softly. ''He seems confident. Too confident, if he knows so much about us.''

Tsurugi shrugs. ''We have no other choice,'' he answers and then makes his way to his half.

The moment Aoi blows the whistle, Tsurugi goes for the ball. He sprints over the field, towards Tenma's goal, intending to end this quickly.

That idea is discarded, however, when the ball is stolen from him. ''Wha-?!''

Tenma steals the ball from right under his nose and makes his way towards the other goal. His speed shocks them all, but Tsurugi quickly manages to recover. He might not have expected an experienced opponent, but he's Raimon's ace for a reason. Tenma might be fast, but the Raimon forward doesn't hold back on his speed either and manages to catch up to him, although barely.

From there on, it's a fight for the ball. Tsurugi's plays are amazing, like always, but Tenma is like the wind as he shows incredible dribble moves.

Shindou gapes at the scene in front of him, much like his friends. ''Ho- how?'' he whispers finally. ''How can someone make such plays while hating soccer?''

And then the brunet manages to overpower Tsurugi. With a graceful turn he steals the ball and heads for the goal, the ace striker desperately trying to catch up.

Tenma doesn't pay him any attention, however, and instead jumps in the air, spinning three times. After the third spin, his foot hits the ball and wind picks up around him. **''Sky Slicer!''**

The ball leaves a white spear of light in its wake, the wind slicing around it like knives. Tsurugi manages to jump in front of hit and hits the white glowing ball, trying to stop it. He fights for dominance for a few seconds, but then the hissatsu manages to overpower him and he is thrown to the side as the ball hits the net.

Tenma lands gracefully, albeit a bit shakily. ''Guess I won,'' he remarks in the silence that reigns over the field. Then he makes his way towards the bench, pushing past the soccer players, and grabs his bag. ''Now do me a favor and leave me alone.''

No one tries to stop him as he leaves the field.

* * *

 **Thought you'd finally get some answer? Nope, that's gonna take a while longer~!**

 **So, how was it? Good? Bad? Awful? Amazing? Any ideas on what could've happened to Tenma? It's not as easy as it looks! *insert evil laugh* I'm having way too much fun with this. Gotta love angst and gotta love torturing Raimon like this!**

 **Well, until next chappie, then~!**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	4. Dying Light

**Hello and welcome back to Warped~!**

 **So, here's chapter four. I like this one :)**

 **Onto the reviews!**

 _ **DestinyDystopia:**_ **The story is going to be much different than you expect, I'm sure. And Tenma isn't exactly 'sick', but I won't tell you anything more than that. No spoilers~! XD I'm glad you like new Tenma, though - he's really OOC, but there's a reason. And I guess you could say he's been practicing? Yep, that deal, and especially Tenma's part, is gonna be pretty important later on!**

 _ **seshhxkagii99:**_ **Hai, hai~! Don't worry about the English. As long as there aren't any spelling mistakes, I can just use Google Translate XD**

 _ **sonia kumar:**_ **Yep, it's supposed to be a mystery! The idea for this story was basically this: a perfectly normal school day, Raimon's happy, etc. etc. Slowly, though, you start to realise something's wrong - where's Tenma? There's no mention of him at all, not even an implication. And, well, I just experimented with it, and this is the end result~**

 _ **BlackCloud11234:**_ **I'm glad you like it so much!**

 **Disclaimer: don't own~!**

 **Alright, onto the story. Oh, one last thing - there's an important notice at the bottom.**

* * *

 _There is no sound. None at all. Not a rustle of the leaves, nor the distinct howling of the wind or the chirping of birds. The silence can't even be called that; it doesn't hold the same emptiness or peace. Instead, a threat echoes in the depth of the soundless music, dark demons tempting their unsuspecting victim to roam deeper._

 _They hide in the darkness that accompanies it. Shadows hide their malicious eyes and they wreath in the obscurity that surrounds them, trying to break free from their dark chains._

 _They fight to hide the stars high up above, trying to conceal them in the same shades that chain them down, but the stars are too high. The shadows only manage to dim their light until it is almost unnoticeable, but their number is large and even their small light shines in the darkness that crawls everywhere, surrounds everything._

 _It is the only thing that lights the path that uncoils itself. The path is endless, going on for as long as a human eye can see and even beyond that. With every inch, it becomes a tad smaller, invisible unless you follow it along the many miles it leads._

 _Perhaps, before the path will ever reach its end, it will become too small to follow and the walker will slip, falling prey to the demons that lurk in the shadows._

 _The space around it stretches beyond what the human eye can see, as well. Darkness below and cold, distant stars, high above, unreachable. There is nothing beyond a crumbling path and the dying lights._

 _A boy is walking the path, his footsteps disappearing in the soundless echoes of the shadows that lurk below, like a black sea of ink, so dark that it seems to absorb the little light of the stars that manages to break through. The boy doesn't look down at it, though, and neither does he look up at the stars high above._

 _He has stopped reaching for them a long time ago, instead simply moving forward. No purpose, no goal, nothing to lead him but the path before him. The only ways he could go are backwards and forwards, but the memories of flashing steel and scarlet agony lay behind him and he doesn't dare turn around._

 _He knows what lies before him, has known it for a long while now. The path is crumbling and while it might still hold steady now, it will not carry his weight forever and as long as he cannot go any other way than forward, there is no avoiding his fate._

 _The boy doesn't dare lie to himself. Even if he could, he has been walking this path for a long time. He remembers a time where it was still so broad that ten others could accompany him without fear of falling, yet now the path can't even hold two. He remembers a time where the stars shone brightly, their lights dancing through the sky and so close that he could easily reach them, hold on to them._

 _He remembers how they started dimming, until what once seemed to be a day sky turned into a dark canvas. How the inky waters below him sparkled with the reflected light of the stars, slowly darkening until it lost all its color._

 _He knows that, before the scarlet steel and flashing agony, he was somewhere else. Somewhere light and happy, with laughter floating in the air and a breeze rustling through his hair as he ran, alight with love and joy. When there were others with him._

 _He wasn't alone, he never was at that time. Yet as he was torn roughly from that place and dispatched on the path, only the stars and the water would hold him company, until even those will die out completely._

 _He hopes, though, that when that happens, he will reach the end of the crumbling path and disappear with them._

* * *

' _Well, surprisingly Raimon is fulfilling their end of the deal.'_

Matsukaze Tenma absentmindedly scribbles down an answer in his notebook, his eyes already scanning the next question and trying to think of the solution. Self-study is now the brunet's favorite subject, since it means that one, no one is allowed to talk to him, two, he isn't supposed to talk to anyone else and three, he doesn't have to pay attention to the teacher.

' _I know I said I wanted to return to school, but I honestly forgot how boring this is,'_ he ponders as he writes down another answer. _'Well, being here is better than back at headquarters. This might be boring, but at least I can do_ something. _Even if it's homework.'_

His mind returns to the topic at hand and his eyes stray towards the girl in the seat next to him. She's focused on her homework, writing down the answers in neat and curly handwriting. _'Even though I won the deal, I didn't expect them to really stop bothering me,'_ he muses silently. _'Though, it's only been two days. It could always change.'_

The brunet looks at the tealhead on the girl's other side. Kariya is playing with his pencil, clearly bored and not even pretending to pay attention to the book in front of him. Tenma watches him for a few moments before letting his eyes stray to the purple-haired boy sitting at the desk in front of the tealhead.

Unlike Kariya, Hikaru is actually working. The boy is writing in his notebook, looking at his textbook every so often. Tenma moves his gaze to the small, brown-haired keeper sitting in front of Aoi. Shinsuke looks like he's working, but the small part the brunet can see of his notebook reveals the boy to be doodling randomly.

Tenma's gaze strays towards the boy on his other side, and stormy grey meets orange. The brunet stares for a moment, surprised to see Tsurugi looking back at him, but then narrows his eyes in a glare. Tsurugi simply raises an eyebrow and Tenma's gaze sharpens even more.

Then the ace striker continues working on his homework and the brunet turns back to his own notebook. _'Knew it. Even if they don't talk to me, they'll still keep an eye on me. Pathetic cowards…'_ he scoffs at the thought. _'I should've known, though. Three years and none of them even realized it. They didn't even try to investigate – despite everyone having a blackout for a few hours! How is that_ not _suspicious? Though, I must say, Raimon has always been a bit dense. Can't believe I ever wanted to join their pitiful team.'_

He's torn from his thoughts by the sound of the bell. The brunet blinks, not having realized class was almost over, and then calmly places his books in his bag. At this point, most of his classmates have already left for home or for their clubs, but Tenma doesn't mind. He'd rather wait a bit so that it's a little emptier in the hallways.

He slings his back over his shoulder and is about to leave when the sound of his name stops him. ''Matsukaze-kun, would you mind waiting for a bit?''

Tenma stifles the initial flare of annoyance and turns around, facing the teacher. ''Yes, Hiraoka-sensei?'' he asks, not letting any emotions show in his voice or his expression.

The man is clearly worried. ''I was just wondering if you're alright. You've been sick for quite a while and you still don't seem very good. Are your parents sure it's alright for you to be here?'' he asks kindly.

The brunet has to keep himself from rolling his eyes. Can't this man just take 'leave me alone' for an answer? Instead of saying this, he sighs and gives another answer. ''I am _fine,_ sensei,'' he stresses the word 'fine'. ''I know when I should stay home and when not.''

The man doesn't seem convinced. ''But your parents-''

''I don't have parents,'' Tenma cuts him off sharply. Hiraoka pales at that and opens his mouth to apologize, but the brunet doesn't let him. ''My… _guardians_ let me live on my own in order to attend school. If I believe I am healthy enough to come to school, I will.'' His words are accompanied by a cold glare as the brunet grips his bag tighter. ''Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go home.''

He hurries out of the door and makes his way through the mostly empty hallway. The brunet ignores the world around him as he leaves the building, walking towards the gate. Mentally, he replays the conversation and curses softly – Hiraoka is probably going to bother him even more now.

The brunet follows the by now familiar path to his apartment. Once he reaches the modest building, he doesn't waste any time in getting inside and ridding himself of his shoes. He makes his way to his bedroom, throwing his bag in one of the corners, and lets himself fall down on his bed.

He closes his eyes and buries his head in the soft pillow, letting his tense body relax for the first time that day. Exhaustion creeps up on him and he easily gives in. He'll eat when he's hungry and he doesn't care for his homework. It's not like it'll matter in the long run anyway.

* * *

''… _to bring out the Keshin with your teammates' power, Keshin Drawing.'' Blueish black energy rises up from Taiyou's back as he speaks with a confident smile._

 _Tenma can hear himself responding, feel the movements his body made, but he isn't in control. ''Keshin… Drawing…'' he repeats, shocked awe filtering in his voice._

 _The dark cloud of energy rises up to reveal a pair of glowing golden eyes. ''This is my…'' speaks Taiyou and his eyes snap open, ''no,_ our _Keshin!_ _ **Sun God Apollo!''**_

 _The brunet takes a step back and a smile curls his lips even though his mind screams at him to stop. ''Releasing your Keshin with your last power… Amazing. You fly so high, Taiyou.'' The smile falls off his face, replaced by a determined fire that is mirrored by his teammates. ''But I won't lose! Our soccer will never lose!''_

 _He knows this. He has lived through this before, has spoken these same words and seen the exact same things. If he had control over his body, he would've snorted. How naïve of him, back then. He was just a kid who didn't know the real world, who thought he could always fall back on his friends, who thought he could actually do something_ good.

 _Maybe he could, once upon a time. Maybe he had enough light to lead others to a better path, a better, happy end. But not now. Now he has seen too much, felt too much, bled too much to ever be the same person again._

 _And so he screams for his body to stop even as he turns around to the two behind him. Shindou and Tsurugi are both watching Taiyou's Keshin in awe, and he knows he will convince them to combine their Keshin and create Demon Emperor Gryphon._

 _But not now. Not anymore. He can't do that anymore._

 _And so, with the same willpower that was unrivaled by any of his allies and enemies alike, once used for the light but having fallen prey to the shadows a long time ago, he forces himself to grab control over his younger body._

'' _N-no…''_

 _It comes out as a whimper. His body is fighting him, fighting to play out the events like they should, the way no one but him remembers, and it hurts. But he has been through too much pain, too much agony, and this won't stop him._

'' _I… d-don't want to…'' he gasps for breath as something inside his heart pulses, pain coursing through his veins, so familiar yet so different from all he has felt before. He grasps his shirt, the bright yellow blinding in the fire of Taiyou's Keshin._

'' _Tenma?'' the voice that speaks is familiar and worried, oh so worried, and the brunet looks up with pained eyes at the face of the one he once called one of his best friends, the trustworthy strategist that always had a plan._

 _Hands reach out to him but he flinches back, the blinding pain throwing off his balance. He hits the sandy field and he hears more than sees how the two taller boys kneel down next to him. ''Tenma! What's wrong?''_

 _The voice of his once best friend is worried in a way he almost never heard. He feels a hand on his shoulder and wreathes as if the touch burns him. He wants to get away, he_ has _to get away, but they don't seem to understand that._

 _And then he's choking, choking on something hot that spills past his lips and onto the sand below. The taste of iron fills his mouth and it is familiar, more familiar than the food he eats every day or the water he needs to survive._

 _So the color of scarlet comes as no surprise as he pries his eyes open, even as more blood spills from his lips and onto the field, onto his shirt, staining the bright and joyful yellow a familiar color of crimson._

 _A sound, somewhere between a whimper and a sob, escapes his throat because he's so_ helpless _and he can't fight off the hands that force him to sit up, their soft and gentle touches leaving bruises on his fragile, burning skin._

 _The pain is there, is always there, but just as it seems to dull, his heart pulses again and he gasps, tears burning behind his eyes. He can't fight them and he blinks to get rid of them, but the hot liquid that runs down his cheeks isn't the same salty and transparent drops that he is used to._

 _He is crying blood, the same blood that spills from his crimson-stained lips and down onto the ground. The hands that hold him upright are bruising, their touch like acid upon his skin, upon his burning veins._

 _A whine, or perhaps a scream or maybe even a wail, escapes his throat together with the scarlet that is causing him to choke. His body wreathes and spasms and the hands are forced to lay him down, trying to hold him steady._

 _He wrenches his eyes open because he has to_ see, _he has to_ know _what is going on around him. He is greeted by the sight of familiar figures clad in yellow and a few in purple, as well. One of them, with bright orange hair, stands out more than the others and with a distinct dullness he realizes the Keshin aura from before has disappeared._

 _Worried voices filter through the blood that is rushing in his ears, but they're too faint to make out words. Concerned and fearful eyes stare down at him, hands gentle yet unknowingly bruising holding him still through what feels like a seizure._

 _And through the blood, he laughs, choking and gasping and just the slightest bit hysterical. ''This,'' he gasps out, distinctly surprised by the fact he even manages to find his voice._

 _More scarlet tears escape his eyes and the bloodied laugh on his lips must make for quite the picture. ''This i-is…'' he chokes on a half-laugh, half-wail, but he pushes on, ''what you… c-condemned me to,'' he spats out, turning his head to the side to cough another mouthful of blood onto the sand._

 _His eyes turn towards them again and his laugh sounds more hysterical now. More tears, as well, and this time the drops that escape are not only crimson but also salty and transparent. He's crying, really crying, but he can't find it in himself to care as he chokes. He can't breathe, he can't speak, he can't laugh, his eyes speaking the blaming words that his lips cannot._

 _Darkness creeps into his vision and he embraces it gratefully, letting himself slip into the familiar shadows and ignoring the way the worried voices are screaming at him, screaming for him to wake up, to hold on, no-_

 _The darkness around him materializes and he breathes out, closing his eyes as the peace and calm surrounds him. The pain from before him is gone, he realizes absentmindedly as his eyes open again._

 _He is in his real body again, but his mind only registers that fact for a second before trying to return to the peaceful state from just a moment before._

 _Something stops him, though. A small light that flickers in the darkness that surrounds him, weak but stubbornly holding on. He watches impassively as it fights against the shadows, almost disappearing a few times but never giving up._

 _After what could be either a second or a year, the light manages to grow. It takes shape, slowly, in what could be considered a human form._

 _The light dissipates slowly, showing a familiar yellow and blue uniform, brown hair and big, grey eyes. Tenma blinks in surprise at the thirteen-year-old version of himself._

 _The younger brunet is surrounded by a light glow, separating him from the surrounding darkness. He tries to say something, but no sound comes out. He tries again and finally his voice forms words. ''Y-you… why?''_

 _Tenma tilts his head as he stares at his past self. ''Why what?'' he isn't really interested in hearing out what the younger Tenma has to say, but he doesn't really have anywhere to go and the sooner he deals with him, the sooner he can return to floating aimlessly._

 _Younger Tenma balls his fists, his face a mix of confusion, hesitance, pain and fearful determination. ''Why… why are you doing this?'' he asks, the same emotions that are etched upon his face echoing through his voice. ''Why are you doing this to our friends? Why are you hurting them, and yourself, like this? I don't understand!''_

 _The older brunet scoffs, a wry smile quirking his lips upwards. ''You don't understand a lot of things,'' he tells his younger self. ''But you will. Soon enough.''_

 _Younger Tenma shakes his head. ''No! I won't betray my friends! They won't betray_ me!'' _he denies, trying to get closer to his older counterpart yet failing as the glow around him starts to falter and the darkness creeps closer. ''They'll save me, they always do. They're always there for me and-''_

 _Cold, stormy grey eyes narrow. ''Shut up,'' he says and watches impassively as the shadows conquer the light, the form of his younger self disappearing in the darkness. Finally the peace returns and the older brunet closes his eyes. ''Shut up.''_

* * *

''This is exactly what we need,'' says Shindou as he sits down next to Tsurugi, drink in hand. They watch as their friends have fun, chatting and laughing. ''A party really lights the mood, don't you think?''

The forward nods. ''Definitely,'' he mutters in answer. Both Raimon and Earth Eleven are there, together with Endou and a few of his friends – Gouenji, Kidou, Kazemaru, Fubuki and Haruna. ''Shinsuke seems to be having fun.''

And it's true. The birthday boy is standing on one of the seats next to the food table, enthusiastically waving his hands around as he tells a story, a bright grin lighting up his face as his friends laugh at something he said.

A sudden shout disrupts the mostly calm atmosphere. ''Coach! Where is the cake?''

Endou rolls his eyes good-naturally. ''Aki and Natsumi are bringing it,'' he answers. ''They'll be here in half an hour. Think you can survive that long?''

Kariya pouts but agrees eventually, earning laughs from his friends. Shindou and Tsurugi watch the scene play out contently.

''Yes,'' agrees Tsurugi. ''This is exactly what we need.''

* * *

 **So... a bit much?**

 **I've got an important notice, by the way. I... kind of messed up majorly, so I'm not allowed to write and/or spend time on my laptop as much as I used to... for the next... months? Ehehehe... yeah. So I'll only be focusing on Warped for now, maybe a one-shot for the AR one-shot collection every once in a while, and all the other stories will have to wait for chapters. Just thought you guys should know.**

 **That does _not_ mean I'm stopping with writing, though! I'm just cutting back a little.**

 **Anyway, see you next chapter~!**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	5. Violet Gate

**Well. This ended up much longer than it was supposed to be.** **4600 words? It was supposed to be 3000. So, don't expect the other chapters to be this long! At least... they _probably_ won't be? XD**

 **Disclaimer: don't own.**

 **...well, onto the reviews~!**

 _ **DestinyDystopia:**_ **Poor Tenma :( I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter! You're welcome, and thanks~!**

 _ **seshhxkagii99:**_ **Thanks, I try! I'm working on Arc 2 for AR and I still don't have inspiration for either Still or Time Twins, so yeah... sorry... :( Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!**

 **Coco Baldwin: Happy (late) birthday! I hope you had a nice day~!**

 **So, lets start with the story, shall we?**

* * *

Tenma grumbles in frustration as he stares at the empty cabinets of his kitchen. After waking up from the dream, if it could be called that, his stomach demanded for him to get some food, but now he realizes that he forgot to go grocery shopping yesterday.

With a sigh, he straightens and closes the cabinet. ''Guess I have to go shopping,'' he mutters as he throws a look at the clock. Despite having slept for an hour and a half, he knows the supermarket he usually goes to is still open. ''There's absolutely nothing and I'm not feeling up to starving. Went through that enough the past few years.''

He knows he's rambling, out loud, to himself. Even so, he doesn't try to stop it – the ramblings have become a habit, a way to break the silence in his cell if it stretched on too long, too cold and too empty. And despite being outside now, seeing the light of the sun and feeling the gentle breeze on his skin, sometimes he needs that little reminder that this is _real_ and that he is _free._

If it makes him sound insane, so be it. No one who's around to hear it anyway.

The brunet grabs his wallet and puts on his shoes, not bothering with a jacket since the summer nights are warm enough. Then he quickly leaves his apartment, making sure to lock the door behind him, and starts to walk the familiar path to the supermarket.

He could go by bike, but he enjoys the calm of the walk and it's not too far anyway. His neighborhood is a calm one and the peace that hangs over it soothes his paranoid mind.

After a few minutes of walking, he can see the river. The water is turning golden and red in the setting sun, a hint of purple and pink here and there. A rare smile tugs at his lips as he watches it. The vivid colors of the sky reflected in the water make for a stunning picture.

Soon, laughter drifts through the air towards him and the brunet, despite always forcing himself to walk past it when he reaches this point of the way, stops walking. The place is familiar, one of the sceneries that has been engraved in his memory.

The soccer field at the riverbank hasn't changed at all. He has seen it before and he knows it, but this is the first time he _really_ looks at it.

A group of children, about nine years old each, are playing a match. He recognizes the uniforms of Inazuma KFC, the team for elementary school students. They're holding a match, but it doesn't seem very intensive. Rather, it looks like they're just playing for fun.

Something inside him clenches painfully and he balls his fists. He breathes in sharply and bites his lower lip as another wave of laughter rises up from the field. With willpower he didn't know he had in him, he tears his gaze away from the young soccer players and forces himself to continue on.

He walks alongside the river, watching as the sun starts to sink lower behind the horizon. The occasional car passes him, but otherwise it's calm.

Tenma's thoughts go back to his dream from only an hour previous and his hand automatically grabs the shirt above his heart at the phantom pain that still lingers there. He balls his other hand into a fist and his nails dig into his skin, but he doesn't care.

Behind him, another wave of laughter can be heard in the distance and the brunet starts to walk faster, trying to block out the memories of glinting steel and crimson red that rise up from the depths of his mind.

He drops his hand from his chest and bites his lower lip as the memories, despite his attempts of forcing them down, attack his mind relentlessly. Phantom pain shoots up his limbs and without even thinking about it any longer, he breaks out into a run.

As much as he wishes he could say the pain is gone now that he has – at least partly – his freedom back, he has long ago stopped lying to himself. After all, that only ends up hurting even more, and he's been through enough agony to last a lifetime.

Physical pain might not faze him all that much anymore, but the emotional agony is something else entirely. Being here, back at the place he used to call home, _still_ calls home in his deepest thoughts, together with the people he saw as his friends, his friends who _forgot_ him, makes him feel more alive than he ever did in the last three years.

Pain, sadness, anger, fear, hatred... it's more than he ever thought he'd feel again. The numbness that surrounded him in the last few months of imprisonment, with the knowledge he wouldn't ever be free again – at least not completely – has all but disappeared.

Thoughts and memories shoot through his mind as he runs, trying to flee from them but knowing it is useless anyway. He's been trying to escape this cycle of torture for longer than he cares to remember.

He runs, lets his feet lead him, not caring about where he's going, as long as he gets away from the memories. All thoughts of going to supermarket have abandoned him as he flees.

Despite the reason for it, the exercise does him good. The air that rushes past his lips, the rhythmical thumping of his feet on the ground, the wind blowing past him, the burning of his muscles, it all feels so familiar, so calming. The little bit of rational mind that isn't drowning in memories of hurt and fear tells him he should stop running soon – his body can't handle the physical stress like it used to.

He tunes it out.

He _needs_ this, needs the little bit of comfort this can bring him. It reminds him of lighter times, times where he was happy, without immediately hurting him with the memories of his time at Raimon.

His dribbling skills have always been his strongest forte, and it hasn't changed. He lets his body do what it does best as he runs, twisting out of the way of obstacles without even having to think about it. Distinctly he realizes he recognizes the streets he's running to, but he doesn't try to figure out where it leads to. The only thing he really wants to do now is run.

But eventually, his physical condition catches up to him. The heat coursing through his veins becomes uncomfortable and he can barely get enough air in his lungs.

He stops running, leaning his hands on his knees and gasping heavily to catch his breath. Sweat drips from his face and onto the pavement below, and involuntary his eyes drift towards the familiar gate a few feet away.

He straightens, wiping at his brow, and his stomach churns uncomfortably as he takes in the oh so familiar blue and white building, the yellow lightning logo proudly displayed for all to see.

It seems like his feet unconsciously brought him to the place he spent his most time at, the place where he has his happiest memories.

Raimon Jr. High.

* * *

Endou watches his old team with a gentle smile as he talks with his wife. She and Aki arrived barely twenty minutes ago, bringing – as promised – cake. Kariya's shout of delight had all of them laughing for almost a minute straight. Taiyou's arrival and his following enthusiasm about the food didn't help much.

The party has been going on for almost an hour now, but knowing the teenagers as well as he does, the dark-haired coach wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that the party lasts for two hours or so more.

''It's really great Gouenji managed to get permission to celebrate Shinsuke's birthday here,'' says Natsumi as she leans her head on his shoulder. ''I know they're in high school now, but they made so many memories here... the place it all started.''

Raimon's coach smiles at her words, caressing her hand with his thumb, and nods slightly. ''Yeah. I miss it too,'' he admits. ''I would've stayed here as the soccer coach, but I didn't want to leave the team yet.''

His wife laughs at that, lifting her head from his shoulder so she can look at him with a raised eyebrow. ''I'm not surprised, honestly,'' she says, amusement shining in her beautiful eyes. ''You always did do things on impulse.''

Endou grins at her. ''Guilty as charged.''

The couple dissolves into chuckles, but their moment is disrupted by Aki. ''Endou-kun, Natsumi-chan, have you seen Sasuke?'' she asks, unconcealed worry in her eyes.

The resident dog of Kogarashi Manor usually accompanies Aki wherever she goes. He always behaves, so she usually doesn't really mind.

Even she doesn't know what happened to him. Raimon first met the dog three years ago, and he was always ready to play. That changed, however, and none of them knows why.

Instead of wanting to go on a run all the time and chasing after the ball when they're playing soccer, Sasuke kept hiding inside his dog house. He barely ate and drank and he never came out. On the rare occasion he did, though, his tail was hanging low and he never had any energy.

This went on for a few months and it got so bad that Aki even took him to the vet. Nothing worked. They were all worried for the animal, wasting away like he was, but they just didn't know what to do.

In the end, it got a little better. It took months, but slowly, he started to eat a little more, allowed Aki to take him out on longer walks, and even barked again, though it missed its usual enthusiasm.

Back in the present, Endou frowns, a little alarmed. ''He's gone? But he never leaves your side.''

Aki shrugs, her hands fluttering up in a helpless gesture. ''I lost sight of him around ten minutes ago, but he never goes far so I didn't think any of it. But... nobody has seen him, and I'm worried...''

Raimon's coach can understand that. While the dog has been doing better the past two years, it still isn't very reassuring, and now that he's gone? Definitely not reassuring.

''We should look for him,'' says Natsumi, her brow creased in worry. ''Maybe he's still somewhere around the school?''

None of them really believe it, but Aki nods anyway. ''Yeah...'' the real shock comes, perhaps, from the fact that Sasuke almost _never_ leaves Aki's side. So what would cause him to do so now?

It doesn't take long to make everyone aware of what has happened. They all decide to help search for him – the more people, the easier it'll be to find him.

They are about to leave to search for the wayward dog, but Taiyou's voice stops them. ''Guys? I don't think we have to look anymore,'' says the orange-haired teen, uncharacteristically serious. ''I was taking a walk, and I think you should see this.''

Sharing confused looks, the group set outs after the Arakumo student.

* * *

Tenma knows he's being very stupid, but he's past the point of caring.

He doesn't know why he deemed it a good idea to venture out onto the school grounds. Perhaps it's because he's feeling daring today, or maybe he just wants to see if the place has changed.

Whatever the reason, he pushes the thought out of his mind as he walks past the outside soccer field, throwing a rueful look at the soccer building on his other side, and closer to the entrance of the school.

It hasn't changed at all. There is the large tree he and his friends always used to sit under during lunch break when it was sunny, and there are the windows of his homeroom class.

He's pulled from his nostalgic thoughts by a sound – a familiar one. Is that a... bark?

The brunet whirls around with wide eyes. He'd recognize that bark anywhere, but he can't truly believe it until he sees it with his own eyes.

There's not much to see, except for a streak of white, and then he's knocked over onto the sandy path. The heavy body on top of his is warm and a tongue licks his face. A startled laugh leaves the teen's lips at the tickling feeling.

''Wha- Sasuke!'' because there's no doubt about the identity of the dog. ''Sasu- that tickles! St-stop it!'' he gasps out through his laughter.

The dog barks and ignores his order, enthusiastically continuing to lick his master's face. Tenma, still laughing, manages to push his dog away from him a little and sit up, finally getting a good look at his companion.

He hasn't changed at all, perhaps gained a bit of weight, but nothing more. An emotion the brunet hasn't felt in ages bubbles up in his chest, causing a gentle smile to stretch on his lips as he reaches out to pet the dog.

''Hey boy,'' he breathes softly, not daring to believe what his eyes are clearly telling him. Sasuke responds with a happy bark and the brunet swallows. ''You- you remember me, don't you?''

The dog nudges his face gently, letting out another bark, and suddenly Tenma has to blink against the burning of his eyes. Something between a sob and a laugh escapes his lips and Sasuke gives his cheek a gentle lick. ''Yeah,'' breathes the teenager, ''yeah, I missed you too, buddy.''

Tenma leans his head against Sasuke's, his breathing a little raspy, as he fights against the tears that are threatening to escape his eyes. ''Have you been waiting for me all this time?'' he asks softly and the dog responds with a soft whine. ''Good- good boy,'' he whispers and his voice cracks a little.

He continues petting Sasuke, scratching him behind his ears gently, a slight smile playing on his lips. The moment is broken, however, by the sound of footsteps.

The brunet breathes shakily, realizing who is standing in front of him without even having to look up. It was stupid not to think of it before – if Sasuke is here, it means that _they_ are too.

He's not sure if he can face them after the emotional evening he's had.

It seems that the universe is not on his side, though, because a stunned voice breaks the silence. ''Sasuke?'' Tenma flinches at the sound of her voice and his dog whines, nudging him gently to try and comfort him a little. The woman speaks again, confusing mixing with the surprise this time. ''E-excuse me?''

Tenma squeezes his eyes shut for a moment longer and then opens them, slowly looking up at the face of his relative. Her hair is a little shorter than it was before, but otherwise she hasn't changed at all. Behind her, he can see more familiar faces – Earth Eleven and Raimon, for one, and Endou and his friends as well. His eyes are drawn to the orange-haired teen standing next to Shinsuke, a little surprised to see Taiyou there.

Sasuke gives another whine, looking between Aki and Tenma. The brunet hides a grimace and gently pets him on the head. ''Go,'' he tells the dog softly. ''Come on boy, she's waiting for you, isn't she?''

His pet seems to have another idea in mind, though, for he doesn't move from his spot. This time, Tenma really does grimace. He stands up, dusting off his clothes, and absentmindedly pets the dog as he stares at the familiar faces gathered in front of him.

His eyes settle on Aki. ''Is this your dog?'' he asks, too tired to care about how he sounds. The woman nods, her eyes going between the animal and the boy. ''I didn't mean to make him run off. Sorry.''

''It's fine,'' she says, and she seems to get a bit of her composure back. ''I haven't seen him so lively in a long time.''

Tenma blinks and gives a startled look at Sasuke, who simply barks cheerfully at him. ''Is that so?'' he mutters softly, more to himself than to his relative. Then, louder, he adds, ''well, I've always been a dog person.''

Aki doesn't look like she believes it, but she nods anyway. ''I'm glad he looks happier now.''

Suddenly someone else joins the conversation. ''What are you doing here?'' the voice is hostile and Tenma isn't surprised to see Kurama glaring at him.

''Kurama!'' Endou says immediately, clearly startled by the teen's reaction. ''Don't be so rude!'' then, apologetically, he smiles at the brunet. ''I'm sorry, I'm sure he didn't mean it that way.''

Tenma smiles thinly. ''I'm sure,'' he agrees wearily.

Raimon's coach seems to make his next decision on impulse. ''We're having a party close by,'' he says, nodding in the direction the group came from. ''Why don't you join us for a bit? Have a piece of cake – as apology, for disturbing you.''

They all seem surprised by his words, Tenma most of all. He gapes at his ex-coach, distinctly aware that his shock must be showing on his face, not knowing how to react. Sasuke gently nudges his hand and the brunet is startled out of it. ''Uh- wait, what?''

Endou, however, beams. ''Great! Come on, then!'' Sasuke gives his master a gentle push in the direction of the coach, and the brunet stumbles forward. The dark-haired man grins at him and puts a hand on his shoulder, leading him towards the party. Tenma is too stunned to do anything but follow along.

Less than three minutes later, Aki pushes a plate with cake in his hands as Endou pulls him down to sit next to him while chattering his ear off. Sasuke curls up on the ground, draping his body over his master's feet, and Tenma can only stare in disbelief.

What... just happened?

He watches with wide eyes as his ex-teammates return to the party as well, giving him wary looks, but not interfering.

Damnit. The _one time_ he actually use their ability to mess things up, they decide to leave him alone.

Endou, next to him, is still chattering. Natsumi sits down next to her husband and places a hand on his arm. ''Honey,'' she interrupts amusedly, ''I think you're overwhelming him.'' The coach stops and rubs the back of his head sheepishly, while his wife leans around him so she can look at the teenager. ''Sorry about him. He can be a bit surprising every now and then,'' she chuckles. ''I'm Endou Natsumi, and this is my husband, Endou Mamoru. What's your name?''

Tenma manages to get a bit of his composure back, his face settling in a blank look. ''My name is Matsukaze Tenma,'' he answers.

''Matsukaze, huh?'' repeats Endou with a grin. ''Well, it's nice to meet you!''

The brunet is mostly silent during the conversation that follows, only answering when someone asks him a question, despite Natsumi and Endou's attempts at pulling him into the conversation. He hesitantly eats from his cake, wondering when he can excuse himself without sounding too rude.

The tense atmosphere eventually starts to dissipate a little and not long after, Endou is distracted by something else, giving Tenma the chance to flee to the other side of the clearing. Sasuke, of course, loyally follows him.

The brunet sighs when he sees that his dog has followed him, scratching him behind the ears. ''Whatever am I going to do with you, boy?'' he mutters softly. While it's great to see Sasuke again, he can't exactly allow the dog to keep following him around. After all, he's still officially Aki's pet.

From the edge of the clearing, he watches as the other people present are having fun. Once upon a time, he would've been part of them. It's a bittersweet realization, but the usual hatred stays away for once – he's too exhausted to be angry.

Absentmindedly, he pets Sasuke a little more. The dog manages to catch his attention by a sad whine, and the brunet looks down. ''Hm?''

Sasuke manages to look sad as he licks his master's hand – more specifically, the dozens of pale lines covering it. Tenma blinks, taken aback for a moment, but then smiles ruefully as he stares at the scars covering his once-flawless skin.

''It's been a long three years, buddy,'' he whispers to his companion. ''Longer than you can imagine.''

From out of the corner of his eye he sees someone move towards him. He keeps his eyes on the dog even as the teenager joins him.

The two collapse into silence, neither having anything to say. Tenma doesn't acknowledge the other person yet, instead waiting for him to speak.

''Sasuke's really taken a liking to you, hasn't he?''

Cautious grey eyes dart up and meet unreadable orange. ''I guess so,'' answers the brunet, his tone carefully blank as he straightens. Despite the three years that have passed, Tsurugi is still taller than him.

The navy-haired forward scans his face carefully. ''You're being awfully civil,'' he says nonchalantly, as if commenting on the weather.

Tenma shrugs, looking at the other partygoers. ''I might hate you, but I'm not enough of a jerk to ruin someone's birthday,'' he answers in the same tone, his eyes falling on the laughing form of Shinsuke.

He can feel the striker's eyes on him but doesn't turn around to look. He doesn't have to, for Tsurugi continues the conversation only a moment later. ''Is that so?''

''Yes.''

This time he does look at the forward. His navy-haired classmate has raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. ''You said it yourself, you hate us. You shouldn't care about something as trivial as a birthday. Either you don't hate us as much as you claim you do, or you've got another reason.''

Tenma's lips quirk upwards slightly, his eyes filled with amusement as he stares back at Tsurugi's sharp face. ''You don't believe me, huh?'' he chuckles dryly. ''Guess I can't blame you. I wouldn't believe me either.''

His ex-teammate narrows his eyes. ''Then why?''

''Well, if you want a reason so badly...'' the small smile on the brunet's face grows out to a taunting smirk, ''let's call it a tribute to our shared past, hm?''

The effect is immediate. Tsurugi's eyes widen and an expression of shock and disbelief crosses his face. For a moment, he seems speechless, but then he finds his voice again. ''You- you know we don't remember you,'' he realizes.

Tenma's smirk grows. ''Of course I do,'' he agrees easily. ''Why else do you think I wasn't surprised when none of you remembered me?''

Raimon's ace scowls, frustration and disbelief still clearly visible in his expression. ''Just who are you? How do you know us?'' he asks softly, scanning the brunet's face for any hints.

His ex-captain doesn't give him any clues, however. Instead, his smirk disappears, replaced by cold fury. ''I'm Raimon's biggest failure.''

Before Tsurugi can respond to that, Endou's voice echoes over the clearing. ''Hey, everyone! It's time to play some soccer!'' Tenma puts his cake away and throws his once-best friend another icy look. Then he joins the group in walking towards the soccer field, Sasuke immediately following after him.

The forward watches, speechless, as the brunet walks away. He's pulled out of his shock when Shindou calls his name. ''Uh- yeah, I'm coming,'' he tells the captain, quickly catching up with the rest of the partygoers.

Twenty minutes later, Tenma finds himself sitting at the sidelines of a very familiar soccer field, Sasuke half-lying on his lap, while the soccer players are having their fun on the field. It's not much of a real game – the teams don't even have the usual eleven players – but everyone seems to be having fun nonetheless.

The brunet's peace is broken by a shout from Endou. ''Hey, Matsukaze!'' the coach holds up a soccer ball with a grin. ''Want to play too?''

The ex-captain can see the wary looks Raimon and Earth Eleven shoot him. He's about to refuse when Sasuke suddenly stands up and gives him a push in the direction of the field. ''Wha- Sasuke?!''

The dog only pushes harder, causing the brunet to stand up in order to avoid falling on his face. That encourages his dog, and with a few more nudges, Sasuke manages to push him onto the field.

Endou grins. ''I'll take that as a yes!''

Tenma glares at his dog, who whines innocently. ''Those puppy eyes don't work on me, you traitor. I blame you for this,'' he grumbles, before sighing and turning to Endou. ''I don't play soccer,'' he tells his ex-coach.

Unfortunately, that's enough to get the soccer freak to back off. ''Come on, it's not even an official match! Just have some fun!'' he counters, passing him the ball. ''Show me what you've got!''

Well then...

''Just remember that you asked for it,'' mutters the ex-midfielder, easily accepting the ball.

Then he breaks out into a run, going straight towards Endou.

The goalkeeper is waiting for him with an excited grin. When the brunet reaches him, the coach moves to intercept, but is surprised when Tenma gracefully twists out of the way. ''So you do play soccer,'' says the coach as he turns around to intercept him again.

Tenma skillfully manages to keep the ball out of Endou's reach. ''Used to be a soccer player,'' he answers. ''But I don't enjoy it anymore.'' He breaks past Endou, heading for the goal. He jumps into the air and kicks the ball with all the force in his body. ''In fact, I hate it!''

The ball ends up in the goal, spinning against the net for a few seconds from the force. The brunet lands, a scowl on his face and his eyes alight with a furious, grey storm. Everyone watches him with wide, shocked eyes.

Suddenly his scowl disappears, replaced by something else – something dark and sharp. The fragile-looking teen isn't paying attention to the soccer players anymore.

Instead, he's watching something in the dark night sky.

When he speaks, his voice is calm and cautious. ''Raimon,'' he says, ''do you remember our deal?''

To say they're surprised by the sudden subject change is an understatement. ''Yeah?'' answers Shindou carefully. ''What about it?''

Tenma keeps his eyes on the sky as he answers. ''Well, I'm using it. Leave, now.''

''What?''

Finally the brunet looks at them, fury and despair shining in his grey eyes. ''Go. Leave. _Now.''_

Shindou shakes his head. ''Wha- why? Why are you-''

''Just go!'' snaps the younger teen, his eyes ablaze. ''Remember our deal. If I ever told you to go away and leave something to me, you would. Now _go!''_

However, they're not listening to him anymore. Instead, their attention is caught by the purple swirl of light in the air, about the size of a tennis ball. ''What is that?!'' cries Shinsuke.

The purple swirl starts to glow brighter and it quickly grows, becoming about the size of a window. Tenma grits his teeth. ''Go!'' he tells the soccer players, scanning their shocked faces. ''Get away while you still can!''

However, it's already too late, for the swirl of light – now big enough to let a human pass through – suddenly glows all that much brighter, enveloping everything in a purple light. A voice unexpectedly comes from the gate-like swirl.

''Well, well, well... Tenma, why didn't you invite us to the party?''

* * *

 **Cliff~hang~er~! :D**

 **So, what did you think? Good? Bad? Worse?**

 **Now, I'm going to upload this and continue writing chapter six~! See you next chapter, then!**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	6. Allies

**Hello~ I'm back with chapter six~**

 **Warning: contains plot twists and Tenma being a jerk. Now, onto the reviews!**

 _ **seshhxkagii99:**_ **I'm glad you like it so much, I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!**

 _ **Eme Hire:**_ **No, I don't want to do homework. Why the cliffhanger? Because cliffhangers are great (from the writer's perspective, at least~)**

 _ **ShadowStriker:**_ **More of Tenma's past will be revealed in future chapters. About Accidental Reverse, I've stated in the author's notes that I'm dividing it into Arcs and uploading those once they're done. Arc 1 has been finished, so until Arc 2 has been completed, there won't be anymore updates. Not to worry though, I've written about 2/3 of Arc 2!**

 _ **Coco Baldwin:**_ **Sasuke is cute~ I'm not really a dog person. There was once a dog that scared me a lot (I was really young) and ever since then, I've been a bit wary around them...**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Go Sasuke!**

 _ **Dierengek:**_ **Animals are amazing. There's a reason Sasuke remembers him, but I won't spoil~ I'm glad you like this story :)**

 _ **sonia kumar:**_ **I'm glad you enjoy it so far! Yep, deep down Tenma still cares a lot about them, he's just angry and lost at the moment, so it'll take a while for him to realize it - and then he still has to accept it too, forget about acting on it! Tenma's kind of badass like this, isn't he? I'm taking my time with Arc 2, I've written about 2/3 of it now. I'm glad you like it so much, but, well, I have a personal life too~!**

 **So, onto the story! Hope you guys enjoy the twist~!**

* * *

''Well, well, well... Tenma, why didn't you invite us to the party?'' the voice is filled with amused malice as it echoes over the field. The purple light starts to glow even brighter, until it becomes painful to look at, and the onlookers have to shield their eyes.

''What- what's happening?'' Shindou asks through gritted teeth, squinting against the light to try and see something. It's almost impossible to see it through the hurtful light, but he swears he catches sight of a human shape coming from the portal. ''What-?''

Then the light becomes even brighter and he's forced to look away.

It lasts for a few seconds before dying down. When the light finally disappears completely, there is a group of people standing where the gate was only a moment ago.

There are eleven in total – teenagers, of about the same age as Raimon and Earth Eleven. They are dressed in matching uniforms – white shorts, dark purple socks, and a shirt in the same shade with logo on it. A white circle with a black dot and a lighter purple line around it.

The captain of the soccer team – because it's obvious that they are one – is a teenager, of about seventeen years old and everything about his sharp. His hair, which reaches a little below his chin, covers one of his eyes. It's black and spiky, with the ends of the spikes being a scarlet red. His one visible eye is an icy blue, and his lips are quirked up in a small, cocky smile.

His visible eye scans the field cautiously, taking in all the individuals gathered there. The tension in the air can be cut with a knife, both parties waiting for the other to do something.

After a few heavy seconds, the captain of the strange team breaks the silence with a silk-like voice. ''Greetings, Raimon,'' he says, and it would sound polite if it wasn't for the slight hint of mockery in his tone. His eyes zero in on one figure in particular. ''Tenma.''

The brunet's eyes are filled with hatred as he glares at the new arrival. ''Nagai,'' he spats out through gritted teeth.

The captain – Nagai – smiles even as his eye narrows at the tone the other teen uses to address him. ''You seem to have recovered nicely,'' he comments lightly.

Tenma's nails dug into the palms of his hands. If looks could kill, Nagai would've been reduced to a pile of bones by now. ''Cut the crap, asshole. Why are you here?''

The black-haired boy tilts his head and tuts, his lips stretching into a taunting smirk. ''Ah, what a refreshing presence you are,'' he sneers. ''As for your question, we require your presence.'' His voice loses all traces of mockery as he says that.

To the surprise of Nagai and his team, the brunet just snorts. A cold smile pulls at his lips and he glowers at them. ''What makes you think I'm coming with you?'' the captain of the strange team is about to open his mouth to answer, but Tenma continues before he can say anything. ''And don't talk about the deal, we both know it's off. Once a month, not twice – you broke your word first, so I don't have to hold mine.''

This gets a reaction out of the team. Nagai frowns and anger fills his blue eye, but he doesn't speak. Instead the boy right of him steps forward with a growl. ''What'dya think you can do, _Tenma?''_ he hisses furiously. ''Escape? Like that's gonna work.''

The teenager that spoke has spiky, navy blue hair that would've reached his shoulder blades if it wasn't pulled back into a ponytail. His eyes are a matching navy and together with his pale skin and sharp teeth, he has a very dangerous aura around him.

Before Tenma can think of a retort, though, Shindou interferes. ''Who are you? What do you want? How do you know Matsukaze?'' asks Raimon's captain carefully, eyes going between the strange team and the brunet.

It's clear that they know each other, but it's also obvious that they're not friends – far from it, if he takes a look at Tenma's violent reactions. The hatred in his stormy grey eyes is different from the icy rage it holds when he looks at Raimon. At least that still feels like an emotion – the fury that accompanies every look at the strange team is so empty and dark and _pained_ that it sends shivers down Shindou's spine even though it isn't directed at him.

Something inside his chest clenches painfully at the look. It feels so _wrong_ to see it on the brunet.

Nagai seems taken aback for a moment, but then his lips curl upwards. ''You don't know?'' he asks and his eye moves back to the brunet. ''Tenma, you didn't even tell them?'' he inquires, but his tone is knowing and the look on his face is one of cruel delight.

''Tell us what?'' demands Kurama sharply, dark eyes narrowed cautiously.

The captain of the strange team smiles tauntingly at that, as if he's in on a joke they don't know about. ''Well, I suppose it's not my place to tell – not yet, anyway,'' he adds when he sees Tenma's surprised expression. The brunet immediately glowers at him when he notices the look Nagai directs at him.

The black-haired teen doesn't seem affected by the glare and instead turns to Raimon. ''But I forgot to introduce us! How rude of me,'' he grins sharply. ''My name is Nagai Jurou and this is my team, Revolve. It is good to see you again.''

This causes confusion amongst Raimon and their friends. ''See us again?'' repeats Tsurugi, clearly suspicious of the strange team. ''We have never met before.''

Nagai grins. ''Oh, on the contrary – we have. Don't you recognize our logo?''

The attention is turned to the circle shape on the dark purple uniforms. Revolve's captain watches amusedly as the realization and disbelief starts to set in when Raimon recognizes it.

''You- you're the team that beat us,'' gasps Shindou with wide, shocked eyes. ''That match we don't remember, where we all blacked out at the end...''

And doesn't that sound familiar?

His gaze lands on the lone brunet standing a few ways away from both groups. Tenma is watching them with cautious grey eyes, waiting to see if someone realizes it.

Brown meets grey. ''We don't remember them,'' Shindou says, his stomach filling with dread, ''and we don't remember you either.'' Tenma doesn't say anything but the look in his eyes says enough. ''You know them,'' continues Raimon's captain and he swallows to get rid of the dry feeling in his throat.

Nagai applauds, a mocking smirk growing on his face. ''Congratulations on figuring it out, Sherlock,'' he taunts. ''However, it won't do you much good. Neji.''

The navy-haired teen next to him suddenly moves, faster than anyone else can react. He crosses over the field in barely a second, a wide grin on his face.

Tenma's eyes widen and he dodges on instinct when he sees a glint of steel in the night air. He lands harshly on the ground and his hand involuntarily rises up to touch the shallow cut on his cheek. The knife cleaves through the space where he was barely a moment ago and the teenager, Neji, frowns. ''Tch. You've gotten better,'' he says as he goes in for the attack again.

The brunet rolls out of the way of the knife and jumps to his feet, quickly creating some distance between the two of them.

Raimon stares with shocked expression at the events unfolding in front of them. ''Wha- what's going on?'' exclaims Endou, scanning the situation thoroughly. He turns his attention to Nagai. ''What are you doing?!''

However, before he can get an answer, Neji attacks again, lunging forward and trying to get a hit on Tenma. Said brunet, however, manages to dodge, although barely.

''Fight back!'' screams the navy-haired teen furiously. ''I know you can, so fight back!''

Tenma grits his teeth but doesn't react in any other way. Neji growls and launches himself forwards once again-

Out of nowhere, a soccer ball shoots towards him. The teenager moves automatically and stops the ball that would've otherwise hit him in the side. His navy eyes search out the culprit, another growl leaving his throat when he sees who it is.

Tsurugi meets his glare head-on and a heavy tension fills the air. It's broken by Nagai's sigh. ''You really shouldn't have done that,'' he tells Raimon's ace striker, as if reprimanding a young child. ''We were willing to let you get away with this, but now that you've interfered in Revolve's business...''

''Nagai, can I hurt him?'' asks Neji, still scowling at the other teenager.

Revolve's captain gives him an exasperated look. ''Well, I suppose he asked for it.'' The navy-haired boy's grin is filled with bloodlust as he starts stalking towards Raimon, while Nagai shares a look with the rest of his team. ''Revolve,'' he says, his tone one of authority, ''attack.''

The rest of the team launches themselves from their positions, but before they can do anything, the darkness of the night is broken by blue light and they freeze.

From out of the sky, a second portal, this one a bright blue, takes shape.

Most of the onlookers recognize it. ''What? How...'' Shinsuke trails off when a familiar, white and blue bus flies out of the portal. ''The time caravan...'' suddenly, from the front of the van, a blue beam of light shoots towards the ground between Revolve and the other onlookers.

Revolve moves back in order to avoid being hit and a blue shield rises up where the beam hit, separating the enemy team from everyone else.

Nagai frowns in annoyance. ''Tch. Revolve, attack,'' he orders and his team immediately moves to try and break the shield. The captain glares at the van as it lands. ''Why did they have to show up now of all times?''

The door of the time van opens with a hiss, smoke rising up around from the landing and hiding the opening door. A figure moves through the smoke and Raimon watches in shock as their identity is revealed.

''Fei?!''

Tenma's eyes narrow as he sees the green-haired teenager grin at his friends. ''It's been a while, everyone!'' then his gaze moves to Revolve. ''We were just in time, it seems.''

''Told you so,'' says another voice and a second person walks down the steps of the van.

If Raimon was shocked before, they're completely speechless now. ''Saru...?''

''Yo!'' The white-haired boy absentmindedly raises his hand in greeting, but his focus is mostly directed at Revolve and the shield that keeps them at bay. ''Everyone in the van,'' he orders. ''I don't know how long the barrier will hold!''

Shindou nods. ''Let's go,'' he says and throws a look at Earth Eleven. ''We can trust them.''

They don't need more encouragement and it takes only a minute for both Raimon and Earth Eleven to enter the van, which, at second glance, has been modified in order to fit more people. The adults follow immediately after.

Tenma keeps his eyes on the barrier and ignores the hasty evacuation behind him. His expression sharpens when he sees the light of the barrier flicker. ''Matsukaze!'' he tears his eyes away from the Revolve team when his name is called. ''Come on!'' Endou gestures for him to enter the time caravan.

The brunet hesitates for a second, but an explosion coming from the shield convinces him and he sprints towards the vehicle. He races up the steps and skids to a stop, moving to one of the windows as Endou, Saru and Fei enter the van as well. The door closes behind them.

Just as they take off, the barrier breaks under the pressure of Revolve's attacks. The team can't do anything as a wormhole opens in the sky.

Tenma locks eyes with Nagai. Revolve's captain is gritting his teeth in frustration and his single blue eye holds a dark promise. Then the van enters the wormhole and leaves Raimon Jr. High behind them.

The brunet stares at the color streaks of the wormhole for a long while, not feeling up to facing the situation at hand yet. Behind him, he can hear how Fei and Saru are being informed of tonight's events, while Earth Eleven is introduced to the two time travelers. ''Is everyone alright?'' asks Endou, his voice worried. Apparently he gets a positive answer, because he sighs in relief. ''That's good. Matsukaze, what about you?''

Raimon's ex-captain is startled out of his thoughts and his hand rises to the cut on his cheek on reflex. When he looks at his fingers, there's barely any blood on them. ''Just a scratch,'' he answers the soccer coach, throwing a look over his shoulder to see everyone watching him.

He breathes out slowly and then turns around fully, crossing his arms as he leans against the wall of the van. ''What a nice surprise,'' he says sarcastically as he throws a look at Saru and Fei. ''So? What now?''

The two ex-Second Stage Children share a long look before turning their attention back to the brunet. ''Revolve was after you,'' says Fei slowly. ''Who are you?''

Tenma groans. ''Not this again,'' he mutters, more to himself than anyone else. ''Name's Matsukaze Tenma. Don't try to find out anything else, those guys already did and they failed,'' he adds, gesturing to Raimon and Earth Eleven.

''Why were they after you?'' asks Kidou, a sharp edge to his voice.

The brunet rolls his eyes and turns back to the window. ''I said I wouldn't answer, didn't I?'' he asks, annoyance clear in his posture. ''Conversation's over.''

Apparently they realize he means it, for they turn their attention to the two time travelers. ''Fei, what's going on? How did you know we were in trouble?'' asks Shindou.

The green-haired boy sighs and grimaces. ''The truth is... Revolve is from our time.''

''What?!''

Saru nods grimly. ''Yeah. They're originally from the future, but they got hold of a time travel device. El Dorado's on high alert – we've been threatened by them directly.'' He shakes his head in frustration. ''We don't know what they're after, but it seems that they've been acting underground for a long time already. They only revealed themselves to us a few days ago, though.''

''What happened?'' asks Gouenji sharply.

''They attacked our headquarters out of nowhere,'' answers Fei, balling his fists. ''After what happened three years ago with the Second Stage Children, El Dorado has taken a leading role. A kind of police, you could say – they keep the peace. Everything has been mostly peaceful during the past three years, but then Revolve attacked out of nowhere... we started investigating them, and it turns out that they've traveled to the past more than once already. We don't know much about them, though...''

Saru takes over. ''Turns out that they're after some strange disappearances. Also, they've made quite a bunch of concerning purchases. However, we don't have any idea about their goals.''

They contemplate everything they heard, and the rest of the ride is mostly spend in silence.

* * *

About half an hour later, they reach the end of the wormhole. They pass through another portal and the rainbow streaks are replaced by the dark city scape of Future City. The time caravan lands on a platform of a large building in the middle of the city, that is distinctly familiar to Raimon – El Dorado's headquarters, Saint Elda.

''We're here,'' announces Fei and everyone exits the van. Tenma stays at the back of the group, not happy with the current change in plans. ''Come on, chairman Toudou is waiting for us.''

The two time travelers lead the group through the halls off Saint Elda, until they reach the meeting room of the headquarters. Gathered there are more familiar faces. ''Protocol Omega?!'' exclaims Nishiki, basically summing up everyone's thoughts. ''And Feida?''

Saru nods. ''After you left, El Dorado offered the members of Feida a place to stay. We accepted and have been working with them ever since,'' he explains quickly.

''It has been a while, Raimon,'' says someone else suddenly and everyone looks at the man that spoke. ''For those who have not met me before, I am Toudou Heikichi, chairman of El Dorado. I take it everyone is unharmed?''

''Thankfully,'' says Endou, taking the lead. ''And I'm afraid that wouldn't have been the case if you didn't send help. We're grateful.''

Toudou accepts his thanks with a nod of his head. ''Now, let's get to down business. You have encountered Revolve and it seems that we must once again ally ourselves in order to stop them.'' He pushes a button on his desk and holograms appear above it, showing various pictures and articles.

''We have found out that they are involved in recent disappearances of people who, as far as it seems, have been randomly chosen. Now they have also gone to your time. To do what, we don't know,'' he says grimly. ''We require your assistance in order to find out and stop them. We offer you protection and a place to stay for as long as is necessary. Furthermore, you will have access to the whole of Saint Elda and be kept up to date with the investigation. What do you say?''

It takes barely a moment for them to make their decision. ''I think I speak for both of my teams,'' says Shindou as he steps forward, ''when I say that we will do everything in our power to help.'' Both Raimon and Earth Eleven agree with his words.

Endou nods in agreement. ''I'm with them,'' he says.

''And so are we,'' says Gouenji from where he's standing with Kidou, Fubuki and Kazemaru.

''Us too,'' agrees Natsumi with a look at Haruna and Aki. ''I don't know what we can do, but we'll help in any way we can.''

Taiyou grins. ''Count me in!''

Toudou nods gratefully. Before he can say something, however, someone else speaks up. ''Well, I'm not really up to this whole ally-thing,'' says Tenma and all eyes turn to him. ''I'd like to live my life in peace and avoid any and all contact with you, but I guess I don't really have a choice in the matter.''

El Dorado's chairman narrows his eyes. ''Who are you and what do you mean, no choice?''

The brunet sighs and rolls his eyes. ''Matsukaze Tenma, pleasure to meet you, blah blah blah.'' This is seriously getting old. ''Well, to put it simply, Revolve is after me. Since I can't simply walk out here without immediately being abducted, I suppose I don't have a choice but to stay here.''

Apparently, that answer doesn't satisfy them. ''Revolve is after you?'' repeats Beta, the first of the Protocol Omega teams to speak. ''Why?''

''Why is it always that question?'' mutters Tenma in annoyance. ''I'm not about to let you in on all my secrets, so suck it up.''

That gets a reaction out of them – an angry one. ''Do not be so disrespectful, boy!'' growls Toudou. ''We offer you our protection, but if you can't cooperate, I will have no choice but to send you back to your time!''

Tenma rolls his eyes. ''Yeah, sure, do that and allow Revolve to capture me. Great plan!'' he mocks. ''So, guess I'll see you again when they use me to create a bridge between this time and the past and destroy the concept of time?''

''What?!''

The brunet smirks. ''Yep, that's basically their plan,'' he answers in a fake cheerful tone. ''Which will only succeed when they get their hands on me, so I guess you'll just have to tolerate me.'' He sniggers tauntingly. ''But I'm not feeling up to telling you anything else, so, sucks to be you.''

Toudou grits his teeth in frustration. ''How do we know you speak the truth?''

Tenma shrugs. ''You don't. But Raimon can testify that Revolve is after me and do you really want to play right into their plans?'' when the chairman of El Dorado stays silent, he grins. ''Thought so.''

Endou frowns. ''You won't tell us more?''

''Maybe if I feel like it, but for now, nope. Now, can someone assign me a room around here?''

* * *

 **Plot~ twist~ gotta love 'em!**

 **And Tenma's being a bit of a jerk, but, well, who can blame him after everything he's gone through?**

 **Anyway, see you next time!**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	7. Secrets

**Hello~ I'm back with chapter seven~ so soon, huh? Well, I couldn't wait with uploading this. The fun's finally starting!**

 **Well, onto the reviews~!**

 _ **AmyGolden1104:**_ **Wow, that's actually really accurate with this story... are you a mind reader?! O.O Because that's kind of what I had in mind, to be honest, with a few changes - here, he's 'sensitive' because he's travelled through time, so I guess it's not exactly the same? Thanks for that name, by the way - I wasn't sure what to call it, but 'time sensitivity' is perfect! Do you mind if I use that?**

 _ **ShadowStriker:**_ **Yep, Revolve's after Tenma~! Poor Tenma, you'll get more of an insight on his feelings in this chapter. I'm glad you like both AR and Warped, and I hope you keep enjoying them~!**

 _ **sesshxkagii99:**_ **I'm glad you like it~! I... honestly didn't understand much of the review, sorry. Google Translate didn't really work with me... I know you were enthusiastic about the last chapter, though, and that makes me happy!**

 _ **Coco Baldwin:**_ **Muhahaha, you'll have to wait a little longer~!**

 _ **sonia kumar:**_ **Thanks for understanding! Tenma's always awesome, but he's kind of badass right now XD I'm glad you like it~!**

 **So, that was that.**

 **Disclaimer: don't own, but Revolve and the plot is mine!**

 **Alright, so, onto the story now! I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

'' _Well hello Tenma.'' The sound of a door being opened echoed through the white cell, and a navy-haired teenager entered. He closed the door firmly behind him, a lock clicking into place, and scanned the room._

'' _Hm,'' he hummed, almost curiously. ''So this is your new cell? Kind of… monotone,'' he commented as he looked around the quite large room. The walls, ceiling and floor were all smooth and white, fluorescent lights replacing the windows. The only thing that broke the monotone white were the pools of blood covering almost the entire floor._

 _In the biggest pool of blood lied a person. Wounds covered his whole body and the clothes he wore – white, like the rest of the room – were torn and soaked in red. His eyelids fluttered open, revealing blueish grey orbs._

 _Tenma's gaze tried to settle on the newcomer, but it was clear he was too out of it to really focus. The navy-haired teenager walked forward, not caring about the blood staining his shoes, and kneeled down next to the brunet. ''They really did a number on you. Shame I had to miss it.''_

 _The prisoner glared weakly but didn't try to speak. The navy-haired teen didn't seem put off by this and instead scanned the wounds on Tenma's body. ''I have to admit, I didn't think Nagai could be this violent. He's the neat guy around here, you know? To leave such a mess behind, well, it's unexpected.''_

 _He sighed and grimaced. ''It's sad, though. I wanted to have some fun as well, but if I do, you might actually die and we still need you.'' Then he clicked his fingers, as if realizing something. ''Almost forget. That's why I'm here, actually – time for another session.''_

 _The navy-haired teenager suddenly grabbed the brunet's arm roughly, and a cry of pain left Tenma's lips. The other didn't care and instead revealed a needle with a clear white liquid in it. He injected it into a vein on the brunet's arm and the world started to fade._

 _Pain, sound, sight, everything blurred together into a mess of warped reality. Tenma suspected he was being carried – or was it dragged? – somewhere, but every touch upon his skin seemed to burn like acid. He wanted to scream, but he couldn't move, no matter how hard he tried._

 _His heart pounded in his ears and distinctly he could hear something else – voices, most likely – but he couldn't make any sense of them. Colors blurred together and the light gave him a headache, but his eyelids wouldn't close._

 _All of a sudden, he stopped moving without realizing he moved in the first place, and the mess of colors stilled. His hearing cleared a little and he could make out individual voices, but he was too tired to figure out what they were saying._

 _Just as things were coming into focus again, light crashed over him and overwhelming_ agony _overtook his senses. Even the paralyzing drug couldn't keep him from screaming at the searing torment that was tearing through his body._

 _He tried to get away, but something kept him in place. He fought against the restrains with all his might, but they wouldn't budge. Suddenly, the excruciating anguish increased and an inhuman stream tore itself from his throat._

 _He lost track of time at the torture. The pain was so immense that all rational thought left his mind and the agony overwhelmed all other senses._

 _After what could've been either a minute or an hour, the torment started to dull. Numbness spread through his body and he stopped fighting, even though the anguish didn't let up._

 _His eyes slipped shut and he gratefully embraced the darkness._

 _Then they snapped open again. Tenma blinked in surprise. The pain from just a moment before was gone, and he would almost believe that he'd imagined it if it was possible to imagine such a level of anguish._

 _The brunet looked with a distinct level of shock at the scene unfolding in front of him. The room was of the same white material as the cell. The back wall was one mess of metal and wires, leading to a strange, x-shaped device in the middle of the room._

 _Strapped to the device was himself, covered in blood and wounds, looking even more thin than he was now, almost skeleton-like. Other him seemed really out of him, his eyes dazed and half-lidded._

 _All of a sudden, the mess of machines started up. The wires leading to the structure in the middle of the room started to glow, and a second later light burst out from the device._

 _The other Tenma_ screamed.

 _He fought against the restraints that kept him in place, his eyes opened wide and glowing and an expression of pure torment on his face. Then the light became even brighter and other Tenma's screams increased, if that was even possible._

 _After a while, in which Tenma stared in horror at the form of his other self, the other him started to fight less. His eyelids slid closed and his body went limp, the only thing keeping him upright being the restraints._

 _Without the screams, it suddenly seemed very silent. That silence was broken by a whimper, and Tenma involuntarily looked at the source._

 _It was himself, his younger, thirteen-year-old self, clad in Raimon's jersey. He seemed healthy, his skin naturally tanned and no scars covering it. An expression of horror was on his face as he stared at the unconscious Tenma strapped to the device._

 _Sixteen-year-old Tenma watched with a certain kind of distinctness at the reaction of his younger self. Thirteen-year-old Tenma finally seemed to notice him and he looked at his older self with terrified eyes. ''I…'' he seemed at a loss for words. ''Where- where's R-Raimon?'' he choked out eventually. ''Why aren't they s-saving us?''_

 _The older brunet clenched his fists, pain clear in his eyes. ''They never came,'' he whispered, his voice almost inaudible. ''I begged and I prayed, but they never came. They forgot.''_

 _Younger Tenma swallowed and his hands shook, desperation in his eyes. ''T-they left us?'' he asked, and it was something between a whimper and a sob. ''They a-abandoned us?''_

 _The gaze of the older version fell on the unconscious Tenma strapped to the structure. ''Not consciously,'' he choked out finally, the tension heavy in the air. ''Revolve- Revolve made them forget. But even so…'' he gritted his teeth and cursed himself as his eyes burned with unshed tears._

'' _They… they didn't_ fight it.''

 _The younger brunet whimpered again and covered his mouth with his hands, tears shining in his terrified and pained eyes. ''W-why…'' his voice was almost inaudible. ''I… I trusted them, I- why would they- they're my_ friends,'' _he breathed, trembling. ''They w-wouldn't… I_ trusted them.''

 _Older Tenma clenched his eyes shut and tears finally started trickling down his face, but his voice only quivered slightly when he spoke again. ''They never… outright abandoned me, but… they never fought it and that's- that's even worse,'' he breathed and a hint of underlying fury could be heard in his voice. ''They forgot me. They fucking forgot me while I was tortured and I-''_

 _His hands trembled._

'' _I_ thought they would come.''

 _Younger Tenma stared at him in stunned shock, his eyes going wide._

 _The older him laughed bitterly and finally opened his eyes to look at his past self. ''I thought,'' he repeated, ''that they would save me. They were my friends, my nakama, and yet… they never came… they left me, they_ forgot _me, everything we've been through together…'' he whispered, his voice trembling. ''I- I thought- no, I_ prayed _they would_ _ **come.''**_

 _Younger him started to cry once more, and the older brunet allowed his own tears to fall again._

Tenma's eyes snap open and for a moment he panics at his unfamiliar surroundings.

Then he realizes where he is – the room he's been assigned in Saint Elda – and the panic fades away. He sits up slowly. It's dark, the only light coming from the stars that shine through the window.

He pulls his legs to his chest and stares at the night sky. Without his consent, tears start trickling down his face and he attempts to wipe them away, but more just keep coming.

The brunet whimpers softly and he hides bites his lip to stop the sound from leaving his lips. His vision blurs with more tears and, giving up on holding them back, he allows them to spill.

He feels nauseous and he swallows, curling in on himself. His whole body trembles and the only thing he wants to do is hide where no one will ever be able to find him.

Instead, he rests his face on his arms and sobs in the dark of night.

* * *

''What's the deal with Matsukaze?''

At Meia's sudden question, both Raimon and Earth Eleven become suspiciously quiet.

The small group from the Feida and Protocol Omega teams that are accompanying them – namely, Meia, Gillis, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Fei and Saru – are surprised by their reactions. ''Guys?'' asks Fei, confused. ''What's wrong?''

Shindou, being the captain, sighs and takes it upon himself to answer. ''The truth is, we don't know,'' he admits. ''He transferred to Raimon out of nowhere and, for some reason we still don't understand, he hates us. Even so… he knows a lot about us. Too much, actually, state secrets he shouldn't be able to know.''

Kirino shares a look with his best friend. ''But, to be honest, there's a big chance Matsukaze _does_ know us somehow, and we… forgot.''

The group is making their way to Raimon's current living quarters, after a morning of intense practicing with both El Dorado and ex-Feida teams. ''He hates you?'' repeats Saru, frowning. ''And you don't know why?''

Shindou shakes his head, but Tsurugi interrupts him. ''Actually,'' he says and everyone looks at him, ''I talked with him before Revolve showed up.''

''What did he say?'' Minaho sums up all of their thoughts.

The forward grimaces. ''He admitted he knows us somehow,'' he says slowly. ''He also said he knew we don't remember him. And… when I asked who he really was, he responded with 'Raimon's biggest failure'.''

Shock is the main response to his words, and for a moment, no one knows just what to say. Minaho, being the detective that he is, manages to find his voice again. ''So he knows us and he knows we don't remember him… and for some reason he hates us.'' He bites down on his thumb thoughtfully. ''Then there's his obvious involvement with Revolve…''

Manabe nods in agreement. ''He said they want to 'destroy the concept of time'. What could that possibly mean?'' at this, he looks at the group of future teenagers. ''Any ideas?''

Gillis shakes his head in answer. ''Whatever it means, it can't be good,'' he says, grabbing Meia's hand a little tighter. ''You can't _destroy_ time. If I have to speculate, the only explanation I can give is that they want to destroy the barriers that separate various times and blend them together. For example, our time and yours would become one and from there on continue.''

While the others gape at him in shock, Saru and Fei share a long and hard look, communicating without words. ''It shouldn't even be possible,'' says the white-haired teen after a moment, breaking his staring contest with his friend. ''Even if they somehow manage to find a way to pull the different times together, it would cost an unbelievable amount of energy.''

Manabe, ever the math prodigy, rubs his chin. ''How much is unbelievable?''

Both Fei and Saru collapse into uncomfortable silence and Gamma is the one who eventually answers. ''About the same amount that would come free if the sun exploded at once.''

If they were gaping before, now they're completely blown away. _''That_ much?!'' cries Manabe with wide eyes. ''But- but that's _impossible_ to gather all at once without destroying whatever they're using to store it!''

Fei is the one to nod this time. ''Yeah, that's about right,'' he agrees with Gamma. ''While the actual energy needed to blend them together is enormous, it's still a lot less than what's needed for the entire process. That's actually the easy part, to be honest – _that_ energy could easily be collected and stored away safely.''

''Then why do you need so much?'' asks Tsurugi, frowning in confusion and suspicion.

The green-haired teen sighs. ''The hardest part is actually connecting to the times you want to fuse. If, say, someone would want to blend today and yesterday together, it'd already need about the same amount of energy as an atomic bomb. Imagine if you want to connect _two hundred years.''_

They all fall silent, awed at that information. They've almost reached Raimon and Earth Eleven's living quarters by now.

''Say that this is all correct,'' says Alpha suddenly, shocking most of them after his silence, ''Matsukaze said Revolve needed him to do so.''

The smarter ones of the group catch on quickly. ''That's impossible,'' Saru realizes. ''A human body could never hold that amount of energy.''

They have arrived at their destination by now. The quarters exist out of a large room, with various couches, tables, chairs and a huge TV-like thing taking up most of the space on one wall, clearly meant to be a living room. The other side of the room is the kitchen, enough to feed the twenty mouths it has to sustain. Doors in the two leftover walls lead to the individual bedrooms of the occupants, all connected to a personal bathroom.

All in all, it's perfect, if not for one single setback.

They have to share their quarters with Matsukaze Tenma.

Luckily for them, the brunet isn't anywhere to be seen when they reach the kitchen/dining/living room. Instead, Midori, Akane, Aoi, Haruna, Natsumi and Aki are in the kitchen – the green-haired woman thankfully keeping an eye on her auburn friend – and Endou, Gouenji, Kidou, Fubuki and Kazemaru are scattered on some of the couches, discussing some thing or another, Raimon's coach having left a little earlier from practice when it became clear that his wife believed it to be a good idea to cook up a feast for everyone. Clearly, from his relaxed state now, the disaster has been avoided.

''Oh, hey guys!'' calls their coach when he spots them, grinning brightly. ''Right on time! Lunch is almost ready.''

Natsumi greets them with a smile, her hands covered in flour. ''Welcome back,'' she says warmly, her eyes moving to the group of future teens. ''Would you like to stay as well? There's more than enough for everyone!''

Gillis smiles charmingly and shakes his head. ''Thank you for the offer, but my beautiful girlfriend and I have a lunch date planned.'' He then turns to Meia. ''Are you ready to go, darling?''

''Of course, honey,'' responds the lavender-haired girl. The two are then lost in their own world and, with a few sweatdrops, the others ignore them.

''We must return to our teams,'' says Gamma, seemingly forgoing his usual arrogant attitude for a politer one. ''Maybe next time, though.'' Beta and Alpha nod in agreement and the three El Dorado captains take Meia and Gillis with them, while Saru and Fei decide to stay behind.

Together the teenagers quickly set the table and then take a seat, the adults joining them a minute later. The three managers quickly bring the prepared food to the table with the help of Haruna and Natsumi, Aki watching over the process so that nothing is spilled.

Just as the green-haired woman is going to sit down, her face lights up in realization. ''It seems we forgot someone.'' At the curious looks, she smiles and makes her way to one of the doors that lead to the bedrooms. She knocks and waits for a second. ''Matsukaze-kun?''

The teenagers still uncomfortably but don't do anything to stop her, except sharing a few wary glances.

There's no reaction, so Aki knocks again. ''Matsukaze-kun? Dinner is ready. Will you come eat with us?''

For a long while, nothing happens, and the green-haired woman is about to give up when the door slowly opens.

Aki starts to smile. ''Matsukaze-kun! I was afraid you wouldn't answer- are you alright?''her warm voice changes into a worried tone at the end, once she finally gets a good look at him.

''I'm fine.''

Tenma's voice is flat as he walks out of his room, closing the door behind him. He moves past Aki and the group gathered at the table can finally get a good look at him. He's pale and there are dark rings under his eyes, clearly from a lack of sleep. His grey orbs, usually overtaken by an angry, fierce fire, are empty and sad.

He walks towards the table and sits down on one of the empty seats, between Fei and Kurumada. Aki joins them quickly and a moment later, they start eating.

* * *

Tenma isn't even sure why he showed up.

He's not even all that hungry and dead on his feet. After his nightmare, the little sleep he got was restless and left him even more tired than before. He skipped the main breakfast and instead grabbed some toast after everyone had left for practice, spending the rest of the day locked up into his room.

Why did he open the door when Aki called him for lunch?

He's not sure, but it was a mistake. Throughout the whole meal, he can feel eyes on him. Usually he would glare and snap at them to leave him alone, but now he's too drained to do anything more than take a few bites of his food and ignore them.

His plan of going straight back to his room once lunch is finished is thrown out of the window when, just at the end of the meal, Saru snaps his fingers. ''Oh, almost forgot. Toudou-san wanted to go over the whole situation with Revolve once more, only this time he'll give a full overview of everything we've found out about them so far.''

Endou nods in understanding. ''Alright, that sounds good. We'll all go.''

There are no complaints and only a few minutes later, after having put the dishes away, the group makes their way to the meeting room they were gathered in the day before. Tenma scowls as he forces himself to join them, wanting nothing more than to fall on his bed and not get off until dinner, but unfortunately having been dragged along by Endou.

Once they reach the room, he finally gets a good look at it. Yesterday was so hectic he didn't even register everything in it.

There's a large, half round table in the middle of the room. In the middle of the table is a projector for a hologram, currently turned off. Toudou, together with a bunch of other old men, is sitting at the table. On the sides of the room are benches where the El Dorado and Feida teams are currently gathered. Lastly, there are some benches currently unoccupied, clearly there for the Raimon and Inazuma Eleven teams.

They sit down, Saru and Fei sitting with them instead of joining their own teams, and Toudou nods in greeting. ''Good to see you again,'' he begins. ''Due to the chaotic situation yesterday, we have not been properly introduced. Earth Eleven, I have heard a lot about you. My name is Toudou Heikichi and I am the leader of El Dorado. These are all teams at my command.'' He continues with quickly listing the team names, followed by a short introduction of the men sitting at the meeting table with him.

He then starts giving a detailed summary of everything that has happened so far, starting from Revolve's first appearance in their timeline and explaining all the information El Dorado has managed to collect about their visits after that, including Revolve's attack where they finally made themselves known.

Tenma finds himself in danger of falling asleep every once in a while, the lack of sleep finally catching up to him, and yawns. He already knows most of this stuff, anyway.

He's in the process of zoning out when the sound of his name pulls him back to the present. ''Matsukaze.'' The brunet looks up, right into the eyes of a scowling Toudou. ''Are you willing to disclose any information about Revolve?''

He considers it for a moment, he really does. Then he shakes his head. ''No.''

Toudou grits his teeth, just like many others, at his stubbornness. ''You know a lot about them,'' he pushes on. ''How?''

Tenma can feel a headache building up and decides to humor him, in hopes of being let go so he can go to his room and catch up on some much needed sleep. ''I've been over for tea parties,'' he snaps sarcastically. ''Didn't I already tell you? Revolve wants me. They had their hands on me before, so trust me, I'm pretty sure about that one,'' he adds when he sees that Toudou is ready to protest.

''Why do they want you?'' asks one of the men next to Toudou. Tenma recognizes him as the coach of Perfect Cascade, Sakamaki Togurou.

The brunet glares at him in annoyance. ''Didn't I already tell you? They want to destroy the concept of time.''

''But what do you have to do with that?'' presses Saru suddenly, surprising Raimon's ex-captain.

Tenma's glower intensifies. ''Wouldn't you like to know?''

Out of nowhere, Matatagi stands up from where he was sitting with his teammates and glares furiously at the brunet. ''If you're just going to be like this, _why are you even here?''_ everyone stares at him in shock at his outburst. The forward doesn't care. ''These guys saved you from Revolve, didn't they? And you're just going to cause trouble and keep your secrets, secrets that involve all of us?! What is your _problem?_ You've hated us from the moment we met! And now that there is real danger, you're throwing this- this _petty temper tantrum?!''_

As he speaks, his words gradually grow more furious. For a moment, Tenma stares at him in shock, but then his grey eyes narrow into a murderous glare. ''You do not know what you are talking about,'' he says calmly, threateningly.

''Oh yeah?'' challenges Matatagi, either not hearing or simply ignoring the warning in the brunet's voice. ''And you do? Because apparently, you know all of our secrets, don't you? It seems that you also know a lot about Revolve – why is that? You hate us. How can we be sure that you don't secretly work for Revolve, as a spy? You seem like a guy who would do that, you know, with your dirty little secrets you don't tell anyone about-''

''Shut up!'' What else Matatagi was planning to say is stopped by Tenma's furious shout, and everything becomes silent. The brunet's fists are balled and his whole body is shaking, from anger or from anguish, no one knows. ''I would _never_ work for Revolve,'' he growls out. ''Don't make that mistake again. They _ruined my life._ You'd do good to never accuse me of working together with them ever again.''

His eyes close and he takes a deep breath, clearly trying to calm himself. ''I'd be careful with what you say to me if I were you,'' he says and his voice _echoes,_ sending shivers down the listeners' spines, ''because you do _not_ want to anger...''

Glowing purple eyes snap open.

''...a Second Stage Child!''

* * *

 **Dun~ dun~ dun~~~~~~~~~~**

 ***smirks wickedly* I enjoyed this, and I'm sure I'll enjoy your reactions as well.**

 **Oh, and for those who don't know...**

 _ **Nakama:**_ **Nakama is the Japanese word for a very good friend. Calling someone your nakama is like telling someone you love them in a non-romantic way.**

 **I think this fits Raimon and I hope no one minds, because the term is going to keep coming back~! If you do, though, just think it means something like 'buddies'.**

 **\- Yara Meijer**

 **PS: do you guys want Kinako to show up? As in, since she knows she died in the original timeline, do you want her to survive because of the changes Raimon made? Then she'll show up as Fei's mother. And Fei _might_ have a younger sibling. Please let me know what you think!**

 **(I'll start a poll if I can figure out how that works)**


	8. Forthcoming

**Hello~! I'm back~!**

 **Sorry for the wait, but I've been pretty busy and then I just didn't feel like writing. I hope this chapter makes up for it, though!**

 **Onto the reviews:**

 _ **And then the sky:**_ **I'm glad you liked it! I hope you enjoy the rest as well~!**

 _ **AmyGolden1104:**_ **Wow, that's one long review! Yeah, I remember, in the anime Gouenji said that they made a list of potential Second Stage Children and then said Tenma was one of them. Then they didn't even say a single word about it after that -_- I think Saru is Tenma's descendants, seems like the most logical explanation. A plot-filler? Hm, guess I am - though, I'm also willing to leave some plotholes open so that I can use them later for stories! I'm happy that I can use time sensitivity, I think it'll show up somewhere in the next three chapters (gotta keep some mystery!) Yep, Kinako is showing up ( _in this chapter how awesome is that_ ) - I'm still thinking about Fei's sibling though. Might do it, might not do it. Guess we'll see! Hm... the second points, I'm not sure if it fits. I'll see what happens. Oh, Earth Eleven's coach? His name was Kuroiwa, I think, but actually he was just Kageyama Reiji with a fake name. Though the ending was pretty weird, yeah. Anyway, Revolve's roots will be revealed in a later chapter! Don't worry about my time, I love your long reviews~ hahaha, I'm glad you like it so much and I hope you enjoy this chappie as well!**

 _ **ShadowStriker:**_ **Surprising? XD There was a hint in the cover though, Tenma's eyes are glowing purple there... but I'm happy it was so shocking, it was supposed to be a plot twist, after all! Sasuke... I'm still waiting for a scene where he can show up again, but he came with them to the future, so he's alright! Anyway, I hioe you enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **Yaa-chan:**_ **Eme, no. Nice try, but no :'D**

 _ **Coco Baldwin:**_ **I'm glad you like it!**

 _ **sonia kumar:**_ **Not exactly. Tenma's powerful, but there's something else going on, which I will not spoil~! Nope, Tenma didn't go back in time, it was just a dream, or rather a nightmare. I hope you like this chapter as well!**

 _ **The Kuro Oji:**_ **Thank you for your compliment, I am quite pleased that you are entertained by my stories. As for 'Accidental Reverse', my apologies for the wait. Because it will be quite a long story, I have divided it into so-called 'Arcs', which I will update when they are completely finished. The first twelve chapters, the ones you have read so far, form the first Arc. I am currently working on the second one and it is coming along nicely, but it will take some time before I will upload it, since I am quite busy at the moment and simply do not have the time to write the amount of words needed to finish it. I hope my stories will keep amusing you.**

 _ **DestinyDystopia:**_ **Poor Tenma, right? :( Well, here are the reactions, so I hope you enjoy them! Anyway, I'm glad you like my stories so much and I hope you will continue to enjoy them~!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Hai hai~!**

 **Disclaimer: don't own (did you know this is actually completely useless, I looked it up and it literally doesn't do anything)**

 **Anyway, enjoy~!**

* * *

The shock in the room is so thick that it's almost palpable. The world seems to stand still, as everyone tries to digest the reality of the situation. Toudou has half stood up from his seat, his eyes wide with stunned shock. The others are in similar states.

 _A_ _Second Stage Child._

The words echo in their minds, unable to be processed.

Seconds stretch on like an eternity, silence freezing everything into place, as if one wrong move could shatter everything.

Then the moment is broken and suddenly, everything happens at once.

Raimon watches with almost tangible shock how the Feida teens fall into tense, battle-ready stances and Alpha, Beta and Gamma suddenly have guns pointed at the brunet, instantly followed by their teams. The same second they move to shoot, however, Tenma throws his arms into the sky, the purple glow of his eyes spreading to the rest of his body and moving outwards like a shockwave.

A split second later, the surge of violet energy reaches the other occupants of the room.

''What?!''

''I can't move…!''

''What did you _do?!''_

Everyone is surrounded by an electric purple glow, freezing them into place no matter how much they struggle. The pressure from the energy is so heavy the smaller teenagers have trouble breathing.

The last question brings the attention of all the people in the room towards the Second Stage Child.

Violet flames burn in his narrowed eyes, not a single hint of grey left in the sea of purple. An aura of amethyst light flares around him, so powerful that even the non-sensitive humans can feel the Second Stage energy coming from him.

The brunet breathes out slowly and lowers his arms to his sides, the flaring fire around him dying down just a little, but not disappearing. The pressure lifts and the air becomes clear as everyone can breathe freely again.

''Let us go, Second Stage Child!'' sneers Toudou furiously, struggling against the invisible bonds keeping him in place. Tenma's gaze flickers to him and as violet fire spikes for a moment, El Dorado's leader gasps for air at the pressure crushing him. As fast as it started, it's gone, leaving the man heaving as he pants.

The brunet glares at him and when he speaks, his voice is dripping with sarcasm. ''Of course, why didn't I think of that? Once that's done, you'll shoot me and lock me up! That's such a great idea!'' He gazes around the room calmly, despite the mix of caution and alertness in his posture. ''I wish I didn't have to do this, really, but it's the only way you'll listen to me.''

Despite his words, the thick tension doesn't let up. Quite the opposite, actually. It only seems to become worse. The brunet frowns and glowing eyes dart around the room as the silence ticks on. ''I don't want to hurt you,'' he says eventually, his tone unreadable. ''I have no interest in hurting you.''

For a moment, no one reacts and the air becomes even heavier, until it's broken by Saru's cautious words. ''What do you want? How do we know you're not lying?''

Tenma's eyes shoot towards his lookalike and for a few seconds he doesn't speak. Then, however, ''I want you to listen to me,'' he says, repeating his earlier words. ''You wanted answers, didn't you? I'm willing to give them. Not all of them, but at least some. Besides, if I wanted to hurt you, I could've done it already.''

Once the frozen teens start to realize that he's right, they involuntarily start to stop struggling. Toudou and the others leaders of El Dorado seem more unwilling to do so, but they accept that their fighting isn't doing them any good so far and relax, if only slightly.

Kidou narrows his eyes at the glowing form of the brunet. ''Why now?'' he asks cautiously, cursing his inability to move silently. ''Why are you suddenly so willing to answer things you kept quiet about before?''

Tenma sighs and raises one hand, causing the mostly-frozen people to tense again. He doesn't pay any attention to them and instead massages the bridge of his nose, as if fighting off a headache. ''Why now?'' he repeats, and his gaze flicks to Matatagi for a moment before going back to Teikoku's commander. ''Because I hadn't expected the situation to be this bad.''

His words only causes their tension to be replaced by confusion. '''This bad'?'' repeats Shinsuke, unable to stop himself. Violet eyes snap towards him and he shivers, but still he pushes on. ''What do you mean?''

The brunet scowls. ''I expected the distrust, but not being accused of working for Revolve. If I want your _help,''_ he spats out the word as if it's poison in his mouth, ''I'm going to need you to trust me. Or at least not expect me to stab you in the back the moment you look away.'' No one knows what to say to that and he sighs. ''What do you want to know?''

The others share incredulous looks. He's really going to answer them, just like that?

Tenma, noticing their looks, smirks, although it seems more like a grimace. ''What? You just found out I'm a Second Stage Child. Do you really not have any questions?'' he asks just a little tauntingly, already knowing the answer.

His words brings the attention back to the matter at hand and the temperature seems to drop by at least ten degrees as the realization comes crashing down.

A Second Stage Child.

''How?'' breathes Saru, summing up the thoughts of everyone in the room. The white-haired boy stares at the purple aura surrounding the brunet. A feeling of dread settles in his stomach and the gears in his head start running.

How? How is this possible? All Second Stage Children were given the cure. Yet here is the living, breathing proof, right in front of him, showing that that thought is wrong. How did they manage to miss one?

And then comes the realization. If Saru was shocked before, now he's completely speechless, a dawning horror filling his expression as he stares at the glowing teen. He wants to question him about his terrifying suspicions, but his voice has left him.

However, it seems that Feida's former leader isn't the only one who came to the conclusion. ''What-'' Meia chokes on her words and Gillis seems aggravated that he can't do anything to comfort her, frozen as he is. ''What did Revolve want with you?'' she breathes.

Tenma's violet eyes darken to an almost indigo glow and the aura surrounding him – now indigo as well – intensifies. _''Revolve,''_ he spats out, as if it's poison on his tongue, ''wanted me for my powers, as you can probably figure out.''

Toudou, having shaken away his shock and hesitantly willing to talk, seeing as he can't do much more, narrows his eyes as he inspects the teenager. ''Who are you?'' he asks, his voice not giving any of his initial shock or caution away. ''From what time are you? What is your story, Matsukaze Tenma?''

The brunet meets his gaze with hard eyes, searching Toudou's eyes for _something,_ although the El Dorado leader doesn't know what it is. Apparently Tenma finds what he is searching for, for his tense posture relaxes and indigo returns to violet, his glowing aura dimming but not disappearing.

''I'm from Raimon's time.''

Gasps ring out through the room, the shock thick in the air. A Second Stage Child is one thing, but from 200 years ago?

''But- but Second Stage Children only started awakening during the last few decades,'' whispers Fei, his hands trembling despite the invisible chains keeping him from moving. ''How is that _possible?''_

''Ha!'' Tenma laughs bitterly, without a trace of humor. Then, a pained look crosses his features and he digs his nails into his palms. ''I wasn't born as one,'' he admits slowly. ''I was born with the right genes for it, as more people are in my time, but my powers were never supposed to awaken.''

He can see the gears running in their heads, curiosity and shock coloring their expressions. The brunet especially focuses on Raimon's reactions. Shindou looks worried, his features pulled into a frown and his eyes clouded over as he tries to figure out this new development. Tsurugi, as well, seems shocked. His usual poker face has been replaced by a searching look, thoughts running through his head.

Tenma tears his eyes away from the ones he once called his best friends, and instead focuses on the room at large again. ''But then Revolve came,'' he spats out, continuing the story. He's revealed this far, what will change if he tells them more?

''Revolve?'' chokes Fei, warning bells going off inside his head. ''What- what did they do?''

Animosity darkens the brunet's glowing eyes to an almost stormy black, and the indigo fire in the depths are so dark that it's almost impossible to see. _''Revolve,''_ he hisses, ''kidnapped me.'' His nails dig deeper into his palms and he takes a deep breath to calm himself. It doesn't work entirely. ''I used to be a soccer player,'' he admits, his eyes involuntarily searching out Raimon again. ''Revolve took me from my friends and my team and locked me up like I was some kind of animal.''

He grits his teeth, his rage returning. ''They tortured me,'' he says through gritted teeth, ignoring the stunned faces around him, ''to awaken my genes. Well, it worked. And once I could use my powers, they used me _like a fucking battery,''_ he snarls. His voice, despite the fury in it, is calm and at a normal volume, which only serves to make it darker.

Tsurugi can't do anything but stare at the brunet whom, before, he thought to be an enemy. His anger is clear and obscure, but somehow he manages to catch a trace of another feeling. A hint of _something_ hidden behind the layers of fury and ice.

Tenma gazes at the people surrounding him one for one, and then glowing purple locks on orange.

Something inside Tsurugi clenches painfully when he fully looks into the brunet's eyes. Fear, anguish and an overwhelming amount of _loneliness._

A feeling of wrongness settles over him, almost knocking the breath out of him. Somehow, Raimon's ace striker knows that Tenma's eyes – flaring with electric purple fire – should not look like that. The conviction crashes down on him like a tidal wave and a sense of nausea rises up in his stomach.

The words leaving his mouth are not spoken with his permission. ''What happened to your team?'' he asks unwillingly. He expects his voice to come out strained and tense, but it sounds calm and collected like it usually does.

A fleeting expression of vulnerability flickers over Tenma's face, and if Tsurugi hadn't been looking at him so closely, he surely would've missed it. But he doesn't, and he's overwhelmed by the split second in which the brunet looks utterly and completely _human._

A tormented one, but a human nonetheless.

Then his face closes off again and his voice is cold and just the slightest bit hoarse when he speaks. ''They forgot,'' he says, as if stating a simple fact. ''Revolve made them forget.''

At the looks he gets, Tenma raises an eyebrow and his lips twitch upwards in something akin to amusement, but not quite there yet. ''What? You didn't really think I could go missing and then turn up out of nowhere without the police finding it suspicious, did you?''

''What's going on here?''

Purple eyes shoot towards the new voice and his eyes widen when he catches sight of the two new arrivals.

Gasps ring out from Raimon's team as they recognize one of them. The woman in question takes in the scene with shock, which quickly turns to caution and worry.

''Mom? Dad?'' Fei can't stop himself from saying that when he sees his parents.

Their eyes immediately move towards him. ''Fei!'' they both call out at seeing their son, and Kinako Rune-Nanobana attempts to run towards him, Asurei Rune only a second behind her. Acting on instinct, Tenma throws out his arm in their reaction and a wall of transparent, electric purple energy rises up, stopping them in their tracks.

Both El Dorado agents freeze when they see him and, more specifically, his glowing eyes. They need only a second to understand the situation and, more importantly, realize what he is.

''A Second- how is this possible?'' whispers Kinako, her eyes wide as she takes in the unmoving form of the teenager. Asurei has a similar expression, shock portrayed clearly on his face. His wife tears her eyes away from the brunet and instead takes in the other occupants of the room, her lips twitching into a smile for a moment when she sees Raimon. It disappears almost instantly, and her eyes stray back towards her son.

Tenma watches the change in her expression, the way her eyes swirl with concern, and then risks a glance at Fei. The green-haired boy is staring at his parents anxiously and with just the tiniest hint of fear.

A sudden feeling of nausea overwhelms him and he impulsively makes a decision.

He lowers his hand and the purple wall separating Kinako and Asurei from the rest of the rooms dissolves into nothingness. Both parents stare at him with wide eyes, cautious, and Tenma averts his eyes. ''I'm not here to hurt you,'' he tells them, and he nods towards Fei. ''As long as you don't threaten me, I don't care what you do.''

They hesitate for a second longer, but then Kinako's worry wins out and she runs towards her son, immediately followed by Asurei. Fei relaxes when they reach him, still unable to move but not caring all that much anymore now that his parents are here.

After making sure his son is alright, Asurei steps protectively in front of his family and carefully inspects the Second Stage Child that is keeping almost everyone in the room under his command. ''Who are you? What's going on here?''

Tenma sighs so softly only he can hear it. ''Matsukaze Tenma,'' he answers and gestures towards the frozen occupants of the room. ''I have no intention to hurt anyone, but I won't hesitate to lash out in self-defense if I have to,'' he states confidently.

It's a sign of his intelligence that Asurei doesn't need to question him any further to understand. ''If I can guarantee your safety,'' he states carefully, ''will you let them go?''

Tenma looks at Toudou instead of immediately answering Fei's father. El Dorado's leader holds his gaze for a long while, but then he sighs. ''I will agree with Asurei's words. We acted too rash, instead of giving you a chance to explain yourself.''

The brunet can only detect honesty in his gaze and hesitantly nods. Ever so slowly, he allows the purple fire in his eyes to die down. The aura around him disappears, together with the violet glow that surrounds most of the other people in the room.

The moment it disappears completely, everyone can suddenly move again. Kinako and Asurei immediately start fussing over Fei and while they all keep a wary eye on the brunet, no one attacks him again.

Tenma breathes in deeply, tasting iron on his mouth, and is not surprised when a cough suddenly wracks his body. It's followed by more, harsher coughs and flecks of red as blood wells up in his throat.

He's aware that everyone is looking at him, stunned at his sudden coughing fit, but he's too busy hacking up his lungs to care. It lasts for thirty seconds before finally dying down and he keeps his eyes closed, the dim light in the room giving him a headache.

Only when he feels a gentle hand on his shoulder do his eyes snap open, staring at the woman in front of him in shock. Aki looks at him worriedly and gently pushes him down to sit on one of the benches. ''What's wrong?''

He waves her concern away. ''Happens all the time,'' he states bitterly, now grey eyes moving to Toudou. ''That's the consequence of messing with a Second Stage Child's power.''

A tense silence settles in the room, no one really knowing what to stay. Tenma takes the chance to wipe his mouth on his sleeve, not caring in the slightest about the red stain it leaves. He grimaces at the taste of iron on his tongue and slumps forward, too tired to care about all the stares directed at him.

Then, with a sigh, he starts to talk.

''Three years ago, my team was beaten in a match against an unknown team, Revolve. We were completely destroyed – no one could even move.'' Grey eyes are clouded over with memories, the brunet's voice uncharacteristically soft and strangely vulnerable. Everyone is enraptured by his words, stunned speechless as they listen. ''That's when they took me. Like I said, everyone was injured, and even though they tried to stop them, it didn't work.

''They wanted me because of my genes. As I said, I was born with Second Stage genes, but they never awakened. Even so, they were shockingly strong in comparison to anyone else in my original time.'' He shrugs, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. ''They 'stimulated' me in order to awaken my genes – meaning, hurting me so much until my powers awakened as a defense mechanism.

''From then on, they started using my powers as an energy source, or, as I like to say, a living battery. Of course, they also had to keep me subdued, so cue more torture,'' he adds, and they can almost believe his laidback attitude if it weren't for the dark shadows in his eyes.

Kinako, who has been informed of the past twenty minutes by her son, frowns in confusion. ''If that's true… then how did you escape?''

''Yes, that's what I'd like to know as well,'' agrees Toudou sharply. ''And what exactly did you mean when you said your team 'forgot' you?''

The brunet sighs, annoyance flickering in his eyes at all the questions. ''If I answer, can I go?'' he says in something that could be mistaken for a whine, except for the dark and tired look on his face. There's no confirmation, but he doesn't seem to care as he answers anyway. ''Revolve has some kind of machine that allows them to erase someone from existence. I don't know the details, but basically, it makes everyone who ever knew or saw you, everyone who ever knew of your life, forget you. That's what Revolve did to me. Also, they went to surprising lengths to make sure there was no sign of my existence anywhere – stole all my stuff, any official documents with my name on it, even took all the pictures with me in it.

''As for Rune-san's question,'' he says, and god, isn't it weird to call Kinako that? ''I made a deal.''

''A deal?'' repeats Shindou with a frown. ''You mentioned it before, but…''

Tenma's lips twitch into a dry smile. ''Yes, I did,'' he agrees, his smile turning dark. ''Since about two or three months ago, Revolve started the last phase of their plan. Because of that, they were all very busy and couldn't bother with me. So, I started causing trouble.'' Purple sparks light in his eyes and disappear as fast as they came. ''Like I said, they were busy and didn't have the means to subdue me. In the end we made a deal, that if-''

All of a sudden, a hologram rises up in front of Toudou.

Tenma stops talking and raises his eyebrows, interested at the sudden change. The hologram stabilizes and shows a man, seemingly injured, surrounded by rubble and smoke. El Dorado's leader immediately takes charge. ''Report!'' he orders.

'' _Tou- Toudou-sama,''_ coughs the man, his voice rough and pained. _''T-the Eastern B-Branch… we- we've been att- attacked…''_ he gasps out.

''What happened?'' asks Toudou, his eyes narrowing in caution.

The agent on the screen tries to answer, but is cut off when he sees something outside of their vision. _''No… stay- stay away!''_ he screams in panic, scrambling backwards.

A beam of energy shoots towards him, the shooter still outside the range of the hologram, and hits the man in the chest. He crumbles to the ground, unconscious.

Someone else comes into view, a taunting smirk on his lips, and the watchers gasp as they recognize him. One icy blue eye stares straight at them, the owner speaking with faked politeness. _''Toudou-san and the rest of El Dorado, how nice to see you again. I see Raimon and Earth Eleven is with you.''_ His smile melts away when he looks at the last individual. _''And, of course, Tenma.''_

The brunet glares at him. ''Nagai.''

''What have you done to our Eastern Branch?'' demands Toudou coldly.

Nagai laughs and it could've been a pleasing sound if it weren't for the mocking undertone. _''Oh, don't look so grim. We just played around with them a little – not even a single casualty.''_ A scream sounds from the distance, and Revolve's captain tilts his head and smiles. _''I think.''_

Then the smile disappears and the captain's expression turns cool. _''Let me warn you,''_ he says calmly. _''You're next on our list. Next time we see each other face to face, we will end this once and for all.''_

Toudou grits his teeth. ''What is it you want?''

'' _Don't you know?''_ Nagai smiles again, disturbingly this time, and points. _''We want him.''_

Tenma's eyes narrow, blazing violet, and his nails dig into his palms. ''Not this time,'' he promises darkly. ''Your first mistake was letting me go, Nagai. I will not be captured this time.''

Suddenly another voice cuts in. _''Are you sure about that, Tenma?''_ a navy-haired teen walks up to Nagai, but his eyes are locked on the brunet. _''You couldn't stop us last time, and before you say anything, remember- this time, you're not the only one we can hurt.''_ Navy eyes flicker to Raimon, so fast that it's hard to see, but the brunet knows exactly what he means.

Neji smirks tauntingly at him, seeing and recognizing the darkening of his eyes for what it truly is. _''You can lie to yourself, Tenma, but not to us. Three years. At this point in time, we know you better than anyone else.''_ He leans closer to the hologram and grins, baring his teeth as his eyes blaze with bloodlust. _''You might tell everyone that you hate them, but answer me this. If we were to hurt them…_

… _what would you do?''_

With that, the connection cuts off.

* * *

 **Well, I hope you liked it... some foreshadowing, it seems~! Muhahahaha I am having so much fun writing this!**

 **Anyway, the next chapter might take a while. My test week starts soon and after that I have a little bit of free time, but I'm not sure if I'll feel up to writing then. Anyway, you'll see when the next chapter is done!**

 **Bye bye for now~!**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	9. Plan B

**Hi hi~! I'm back with Warped chapter 9~! Sorry for the wait, I had a horrible writer's block and then I went on a week-long field trip with my school. Though, it also helped me sort out a lot of ideas and I finally managed to continue writing!**

 **Anyway, onto the reviews!**

 _ **Coco Baldwin:**_ **I'm glad you liked it so much, I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!**

 _ **AmyGolden1104:**_ **Ahahaha... sorry for killing you? Don't worry, Raimon will find out very soon! The reason why they didn't understand that Tenma is their captain before will be explained in a later chapter. Kinako and Asurei are awesome and I'm having a lot of fun writing them - also, I love writing Fei with them because he deserves a happy family. Yeah, El Dorado isn't all that impressive, but they're useful enough. My two week break from school starts tomorrow~ looking forward to it!**

 _ **JulkaTaehyung95:**_ **I'm happy you loved it! Sorry for the wait, but I hope you like this one too!**

 _ **Sonia Kumar:**_ **Yeah, Tenma will have to go through some stuff before finally accepting that Raimon is still his family. Everything will be explained later, so don't worry about that! And thanks, I distinctly remember that test going well :)**

 _ **ShadowStriker:**_ **Kinako is back, yep! And Revolve is gonna cause more trouble before ''burning in hell'', as you said! Oh, there's more on the deal here, but it'll all be revealed later~**

 _ **MistyLove:**_ **Revolve is not listening to you~**

 _ **Dark Fox - loner:**_ **Don't worry, your English might not be perfect but I can understand what you mean. I'm glad you like this story so much, it makes me happy to hear that! I hope you continue enjoying this and thank you for the wish of inspiration ;)**

 _ **TokusatsuLuv:**_ **I'm glad you like it. Sorry for the wait, I had a writer's block... I'm not spoiling anything, but this story hasn't even reached its peak yet, so stay tuned!**

 _ **Aegis Master:**_ **Sorry for the wait, I was really busy and had a writer's block. I'm glad you liked it though, and I hope you enjoy this as well.**

 **Disclaimer: don't own except the OCs, etc. etc.**

 **So, lets not keep you guys any longer! Onto Warped Chapter 9!**

* * *

'' _You know you're not getting out of here. You can't stop us, not on your own, and no one is coming for you. And yet, despite that, you still have so much to lose. It's your choice. Everything you hold dear, or your life. Which one is it?''_

'' _I can't trust you.''_

'' _Ha. Smart boy. No, you can't, but you don't have another choice.''_

'' _I'll be playing right into your hands. What you're suggesting would turn everyone against me and end with me being some kind of martyr.''_

'' _True again. In the end it's your choice, isn't it? If you don't want this, then feel free to take the other option. We're not stopping you.''_

'' _There is no right choice for me. I'm choosing between my friends and myself.''_

'' _It's the only choice. Now, we don't have all day, so what's your answer? Do we have a deal?''_

As Tenma watches the chaos that envelops the room after Nagai cuts off the call, the memory rises up in his mind. He closes his eyes and takes a shaky breath. It seems like Revolve is finally moving on to the next phase.

''That's enough! Settle down!'' orders Toudou, his voice rising above the loud noise that fills the room. ''We need to think this through calmly. Asurei,'' his eyes move to the El Dorado agent, ''report.''

Fei's father nods and clears his throat, while everyone else finally calms down enough to think rationally again. ''For those who don't know, Kinako and I went on a covert mission to investigate the area where we think Revolve's headquarters is hidden,'' he gives a quick summary so that they all know what he's talking about.

Toudou nods. ''What did you find?''

Husband and wife share a look and then Kinako answers. ''There was a strange energy source. At first it was hidden, but the longer we stayed, the more our radars picked up a strange spike. We investigated it and it turned out to be a camouflaged tear in spacetime.''

El Dorado's leader frowns at this, waving his fingers together worriedly. ''You're saying they've created a stable wormhole and build a base in it?'' he asks lowly.

Asurei nods grimly. ''Unfortunately,'' he confirms his leader's words. ''We've tried to investigate it, but it was hard to without being spotted.'' He takes a small flash drive out of his pocket and places it on Toudou's desk. ''This contains all the data we've gathered.''

''Thank you.'' The man picks it up and stuffs it in a drawer, to take a look at it later, before turning his attention to both of his agents. ''I want you two to go to the Eastern Branch. After the attack, it's vulnerable. Investigate it and, if you have to, protect it. Teams will be send to the other three branches as well.''

Kinaki and Asurei nod. ''Yes sir,'' they chorus.

Toudou's eyes flicker to where the El Dorado teams are gathered. ''Rune, Evan, I want both of you to pick a team of two and join them.'' The two teenagers nod.

''What about us?''

The three El Dorado members turn to Endou, who is standing in front of Raimon and the Earth Eleven with a serious expression on his face. ''We want to help,'' says the coach and his voice doesn't leave any room for debate. ''This whole mess might not have started because of us, but we're involved now and we won't stay hidden away here. There must be something we can do.''

Toudou narrows his eyes and gives Endou a hard stare. The coach returns it head-on, his determination not wavering in the slightest. Finally, El Dorado's leader gives a curt nod. ''I understand. Even so, I won't endanger any minors unless I absolutely have to.''

Matatagi narrows his eyes at that. ''Those guys aren't any older,'' he nods towards Fei and Saru, ''and yet you give them a mission.''

El Dorado's leader sighs tiredly, but his expression is resolute. ''Rune and Evan are trained, just like their teams. They have training and are official El Dorado agents. You are not.'' Dark red eyes narrow warningly. ''I will not send out untrained minors. The adults among you are a different case, it's their own choice, but I stand by my words.''

The teenagers all seem frustrated at their uselessness, but can see that there's nothing they can do to change Toudou's already made up mind.

''What if you train us?''

Everyone looks at the speaker and Toudou frowns thoughtfully. ''What do you mean?''

''You said you won't send out untrained minors,'' Kurama repeats the man's earlier words. ''The solution is simple, isn't it? Train us. Then we can help. Or at least do more than sit around and wait for news.''

The silence that follows the forward's words is tense and heavy. The teenagers from the past have hopeful expressions, fully agreeing with Kurama. Endou has a frown on his face, clearly not happy with the idea of endangering his team, and Natsumi grabs his hand to comfort him, even though she doesn't look happy either.

Asurei's face is unreadable with the exception of the slight furrowing of his brows. Kinako purses her lips unhappily. Toudou is thinking deeply, trying to find the right solution.

Eventually, he sighs. ''You have not had the years of training of every El Dorado agent that I'm sending out,'' he says and the teenagers look ready to protest, but he holds up a hand to stop them. ''However, you are involved in this and therefore in danger. Learning how to protect yourself is a good idea.''

At the excitement coating the teenagers' faces, Toudou narrows his eyes warningly. ''This does _not_ mean that you will be send out on missions.''

''We can help!'' protests Shinsuke. ''We can protect each other if we're with a lot of people!''

The other teenagers agree with his words and this time it's Toudou's turn to back off, and he does when it becomes clear they won't stand down. ''Very well!'' he calls loudly, trying to let his voice be heard over the noise. ''A compromise!'' the soccer players slowly settle down and El Dorado's leader sighs, massaging his temples tiredly. ''You will be allowed to go on missions, as long as they're not the most important and dangerous _and_ as long as you have at least three El Dorado agents with you, of which at least one is an adult. Agreed?''

The look on his face tells everyone this is the best they're going to get. Shindou, like the captain he is, steps forward after sharing a look with his friends. ''We agree to your terms.''

Toudou sighs, obviously not happy with this arrangement, and focuses on Kinako. ''You're in charge of their training. Asurei will go to the Eastern Branch with a team and you'll join him in a week's time. If you think they're up to it, those of the past may accompany you on the mission.''

The woman nods in understanding and then furrows her eyebrows. ''All of them?'' she asks, her eyes flickering to the only Second Stage Child in the room.

Tenma's eyes narrow and he looks at Toudou, awaiting his judgement. El Dorado's leader shoots him a sharp glare. ''He will not join your training. I will not have a potential enemy learning how to shoot a gun,'' he growls out. ''You might be against Revolve but that doesn't mean you're on our side, boy. I don't trust you.''

The brunet rolls his eyes at that and Toudou's focus returns to Kinako. ''I want you to watch him. He must not leave your sight, or those of the people you set on him, and the moment he does he will be treated as an enemy. Understood?'' the last word is aimed at the Second Stage Child himself.

Tenma meets his harsh gaze head on, not backing down, even as the words echo in his head.

'' _Do we have a deal?''_

He takes a deep breath and forces himself to relax.

Time to play his part.

''Whatever.''

* * *

Tenma stares at the night sky high above, at the stars that shine down at him, cold and distant. A part of him wishes he could be like them, somewhere far away so he wouldn't have to go through this, or even capable of shutting his emotions away.

Sitting on the rooftop of Saint Elda, he breathes in the cold air and ignores the goosebumps on his arms. It's early, probably around two in the morning, but he doesn't want to go back to his sleep and, in unwelcome addition, his nightmares.

Asurei has gathered a team and will leave first thing in the morning, before the sun even rises. Kinako has scheduled the first training session for a few hours after that _and_ given him a guard dog.

Said 'guard dog' is currently leaning against the wall next to the door that leads inside the Saint Elda building, watching him with annoyance. If one thing is obvious, it's that he doesn't want to be here.

Not that it's surprising. Who would want to be out so late, or early, that everyone is sleeping?

For a moment, Tenma thinks of taking mercy on him, but then discards the thought. It might be selfish, but he couldn't care less right at that moment. Memories flash through his head and his scars burn, and he closes his eyes. He focuses on clearing his mind, taking deep breaths, and fights the slight tremors running through his body.

'' _Do we have a deal?''_

'' _-your choice, isn't it?''_

'' _You know you're not getting out of here. You can't stop us, not on your own, and no one is coming for-''_

'' _-no right choice for me. I'm choosing between my friends and-''_

'' _Smart boy.''_

'' _Do we have a deal?''_

'' _-you still have so much to lose-''_

'' _-you hold dear, or your life. Which one is it?''_

'' _-you're suggesting would turn everyone against me and end with me-''_

'' _Do we have a deal?''_

The silence of the night is finally broken by his watcher. ''How long are you going to sit there?''

Grey eyes snap open and glare at his lookalike. Saru doesn't seem fazed in the slightest and instead raises an unimpressed eyebrow. ''Some people actually want to sleep at this time.''

The brunet's glare sharpens. ''Well, I'm not 'some people', if you hadn't figured that out yet,'' he snaps coldly, the cursed words echoing through his mind.

'' _Do we have a deal?''_

Saru narrows his eyes, caution and annoyance fighting for the dominant place, and lowers his hand to the gun on his hip. ''We're the only ones standing between you and Revolve. The only protection you have. You better watch your tongue, Matsukaze.''

The brunet snorts. If only they knew.

Feida's ex-emperor doesn't like his reaction and pushes himself away from the wall. ''That's it. We're going back inside and finally get some sleep. Protest all you want, no one's going to listen.'' With that he turns his back to the other teen and opens the door, stepping through it.

With a sigh, Tenma hoists himself to his feet and stares up at the cold stars again, merciless as they shine down on him. He takes a few moments to compose himself, but it's broken by Saru's annoyed voice.

''Are you coming?''

''Yeah,'' he calls back, starting for the door. Once there, he throws one last look at the sky he never thought he'd see again.

'' _ **Do we have a deal?''**_

The word echoes through his head as he pulls the door closed behind him, blocking out the last light of the stars high above.

The word that decided his fate.

''… _ **Deal.''**_

* * *

The next morning, Tenma spends his time watching how his ex-team – both of them – fumble around with the weapons they've been given.

He must admit, Kinako is a good teacher, and both Fei and Saru are great assistants.

The brunet, despite the annoyed scowl he keeps on his face, can't help but relax just the tiniest bit at seeing the now woman. He knew her fate, dying during childbirth, but it seems that Raimon's intervention has changed the timeline enough for her to survive.

More changes to the timeline seems to be that Feida was never created in the first place. Instead all the Second Stage Children gave up their powers and either joined El Dorado or left to live a normal life. The war that tore apart the future never happened.

But the memories are still there. It's clear, from the way everyone acts, from the fact that they still remember Raimon. The friends they made in the future have lived two lives, the one where Raimon shows up to save them and the right one, the one where Kinako survived.

The brunet is slumped against the wall, watching as everyone, even Haruna, Natsumi, Aki and Raimon's managers, carefully attempt to follow Kinako's instructions. As promised, he's not allowed to join the training, but he doesn't really mind.

At least now he can enjoy the last bit of peace before everything goes down.

It's probably the last bit of peace he'll have in a long time, if ever.

* * *

The week passes without much of a fuss. From his spot against the wall, Tenma can testify that the trainees are improving under Kinako's tutelage. He's still being shadowed by either Saru, Fei or Gilis, but they haven't caused much of a problem.

The Eastern Branch has been stabilized by Asurei and his forces, and the Northern, Southern and Western Branches have upped their security against Revolve. Kinako is not really needed there, but it'll be good 'training' for the new students.

Tenma can't help but feel nervous at the approaching mission, knowing he'll be forced to go wherever Kinako goes as long as she is in charge of his guarding. There's nothing he can do to stop it and so, once the day of their leaving arrives, he packs his belongings. It doesn't take long, for the only thing he could actually call his own are the few clothes El Dorado has given him.

The journey to the Eastern Branch isn't very interesting. They leave in some kind of bus that hovers a few feet above the ground instead of having wheels, and only a few hours later they reach their destination.

What must once have been a big and imposing building, like Saint Elda, is now in ruins. Most of the inner structure is still standing, but the outer walls are completely demolished and what is left of the building is surrounded by rubble. Guards are patrolling the area, a clear sign of the increased security, and the heavy doors that keep enemies out are closed.

Kinako shows an ID and they're allowed to move on, not taking long to reach the entrance of the Eastern Branch. They're ushered inside by some of El Dorado's agents, all seeming to be on edge, and then taken to their rooms.

Tenma keeps his back turned to Fei as his 'roommate' starts unpacking the few essentials he took with him. The brunet stuffs his clothes – all long-sleeved, of course, wouldn't want anyone to see the countless scars on his arms and legs – in his dresser and then sits down in the wide windowsill, looking up at the cloudy sky.

He's painfully aware of his guard's presence, seeing the mint-haired teen's movements out of the corner of his eye even as he tries to ignore him.

As impossible as it is to admit, he has missed Fei.

Deep down he knows he missed everyone. Fei, Earth Eleven, and even Raimon. But it hurts too much to accept, so he doesn't.

Despite that, being in such close proximity to one of the people he used to call his best friends, almost tempts him into relaxing. Tempts him to tell them everything, to tell _Fei_ everything, from what he has gone through the past three years to the nightmares still plaguing him every moment he closes his eyes.

Without noticing it, his eyes have strayed from the window to his roommate's face. The young El Dorado agent is focused on putting away his things, not paying the brunet any attention, and Tenma takes the chance to get a good look at him for the first time in three years.

He hasn't changed all that much. He's a few inches taller, but he still has the same lithe build which, now that Tenma knows of Fei's parentage, obviously comes from Kinako. The soft features are inherited from his mother as well, but the skin, hair and eye color is all Asurei, even though the eye shape comes from Kinako.

The Chrono Storm midfielder has grown his hair out just the slightest bit and his clothes have changed a bit. He still wears the wide pants, but his orange top is now sleeveless and with patches of white, but otherwise he still looks the same as Tenma remembers him. Apparently the young agent can feel the brunet's eyes on him, for he suddenly looks up and mint green meets stormy grey.

''…Is something wrong?''

The urge to tell Fei everything increases, and Tenma almost opens his mouth to talk.

''… _Deal.''_

Raimon's ex-captain looks away. ''No.''

The other doesn't seem to believe him, but seems to realize Tenma won't answer him anyway and instead goes back to unpacking. The silent between them returns, this time a lot tenser than before, and the Second Stage Child forces his gaze back to the window.

They spend the next ten minutes without saying anything, until finally the silence is broken by a knock on the door. Fei looks up from where he is putting the last of his clothes in his dresser. ''Come in!''

The door opens and Kinako peeks into the room, a warm smile on her face and her brown hair in a braid over her shoulder. ''Fei! Have you settled in yet?'' she asks brightly, stepping further into the room.

''Mom!'' the mint-haired teen beams at her and turns to face her fully. ''Yeah, I'm about done.''

Kinako's bright smile shrinks a bit, but the warmth in it doesn't disappear. ''That's good,'' she says and turns to the other occupant of the room. ''What about you, Matsukaze-kun?''

Tenma freezes when he's addressed by her and can't find it in himself to meet her gentle gaze. ''Done,'' he mutters, keeping his eyes on the ground.

He doesn't see the way her face falls, but he can hear the change in her voice. ''Oh, that's good,'' she says, softer than before. ''Asurei called for us, so he can give us an update on the situation,'' she tells her son and, by extension, Tenma.

''Got it.''

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, they all find themselves in the mostly undamaged main office of El Dorado's Eastern Branch. Asurei has taken charge and made it into the main base, it seems, for they're welcomed by the man himself.

The room is large enough for the forty or so people to fit in it and looks a little like Toudou's office in Saint Elda, except that there is no table fit for about twenty people in the middle. Instead, there's only a desk for one person and benches for a larger audience.

The two soccer teams and the additional people sit down there while Asurei welcomes them. The mint-haired agent immediately gets down to business once they're all settled.

''We have recovered important data from the attack, both about Revolve's fighting skill _and_ something else that seems interesting,'' he states grimly, his eyes scanning their faces. ''One of Revolve's members lost this during the attack.'' He holds up a small device, which almost looks like a flash stick. ''It took us a few days to crack the code, but we finally managed and it contains seas of information.''

Kinako has started smiling. ''That's great!'' in her relief, she grabs her husband's hand and squeezes it gently.

Asurei looks down at her with a warm smile, but it soon changes into a frown. ''However,'' he starts, and looks at everyone else again, ''there was one piece of information that stood out.'' He gently slides his hand out of Kinako's and starts tapping at a keyboard on his desk. Holograms suddenly light up the room, showing pictures and documents.

Fei frowns, a mirror image of his father, and steps closer to take a better look at the holograms. ''Dad, what is this? This just looks like normal i006Etel,'' he says.

The older El Dorado agent nods. ''That's because it is, but the worrisome part is that _Raimon_ is mentioned several times.'' He keeps a close eye on the teenagers' reactions, and therefore notices their confused and worried expressions immediately.

''What?'' asks Endou, pushing to the front of the group so that he can inspect the information on the holograms. ''Does this have anything to do with their match against us three years ago?''

The other man nods grimly. ''Yes, that's exactly it.'' He types something and a large hologram pops up, overshadowing the other ones. ''Here it says that, for 'Phase Three', whatever that is, to start, they needed Raimon. Specifically, one player.'' His eyes darken and all of his focus is directed at the Raimon players. ''Your captain.''

Gasps ring out through the group, and Shindou's eyes are wide. ''Me?''

Asurei shakes his head.

That only causes more confusion amongst the group. Kinako's eyes are swirling with worry while she speaks, ''What are you talking about?'' and grabs his hand.

The mint-haired man grabs her hand tightly but doesn't take his eyes away from Raimon, dead serious. ''It appears,'' he starts, his voice carefully composed, ''that Raimon originally had another captain and Revolve deleted your memories about him.''

Drop. Dead. Silence.

Tenma doesn't dare breathe as he stares at his ex-team.

They all seem completely and utterly speechless, as if they've forgotten how to use words. No one in the room is moving, all waiting for someone to break the heavy tension that has dawned on them.

The brunet can see how some of them are starting to connect the dots, but no one is looking at him yet, except for one.

Mint green eyes are solely focused on his stormy grey ones, and when he notices, Raimon's ex-captain meets Asurei's gaze head-on.

Finally, one single word is uttered that breaks the silence. ''Who?''

The sudden sound is enough to draw everyone's eyes to Shindou, whose face is an ashen grey color. The reality of the situation seems to have settled in, at least just a little bit, and all of Raimon looks more sick than speechless at this point.

Instead of answering, Asurei's eyes flicker to Tenma's for a split second. Then the agent types something on the keyboard on his desk again and a hologram pops up. Instead of a piece of text showing up, it's a picture, one that's very familiar to the brunet.

It's the last picture he and his team had taken before his kidnapping. It shows them all, on Raimon's outside field, dressed in their soccer uniforms. Nothing like the usual official pictures, this one is taken just after practice.

Tenma almost smiles as he remembers that some of the players had to be forcefully dragged into it, shown by Nishiki and Midori grabbing Kurama's arms to keep him in place, the dark-skinned boy yelping in protest. Sangoku and Amagi are standing behind them, with exasperated and fond smiles, while Kurumada is cheering the two on.

Hamano has thrown his arms around Hayami and Aoyama, the latter having grabbed Ichino by the arm for balance. The blond himself is taken by surprise and in the middle of falling on the ground, a shocked expression on his face.

Kariya is standing with Kirino, seemingly in the middle of friendly teasing each other, watching the camera with funny expression after having been surprised by the flash. Hikaru and Shinsuke are sitting in front of them, surrounded by soccer balls, and Aoi and Akane are laughing at the funny picture they make.

Lastly, in the middle, Tenma is holding up a ball and giving his familiar, bright smile. Shindou is standing on one side and ruffling the brunet's hair, a fond smile playing on his lips, while Tsurugi is leaning his elbow on the brunet's shoulder lazily, giving a cocky smirk to the camera.

Asurei allows them to take a look at the picture for a few moments and then zooms in on the middle, where the Raimon trio is standing. The close-up shows the red captain band around the brunet's arm clearly.

The mint-haired agent looks away from the hologram and instead keeps his eyes focused on Raimon. Seeing their shocked expressions, he pulls up another picture, this one of Tenma himself. He's half-turned to the camera, a warm and confident smile on his face and his eyes gentle. Dressed in the soccer uniform, the red of the band around his arm stands out clearly against the yellow and blue surrounding it.

He talks in a soft, comforting tone and says, ''Allow me to introduce you to Raimon and Earth Eleven's true captain, Matsukaze Tenma.''

If it was silent before, it is now completely lifeless. Figuratively speaking.

Tenma firmly keeps his eyes locked onto his own picture.

No one dares to say anything and the only sound comes from the ticking of the clock.

Tick…

Tick…

Tick…

Tick…

Tick…

Tick…

Tick…

Tick…

Tick…

Before someone can break the silence, an alarm starts blaring and out of nowhere, red light starts flashing.

It breaks everyone out of their stupor and Asurei immediately starts typing away at the keyboard. Holograms close and pop up, showing the outside security feed from several angles. Most of the area around the building is hidden by smoke, but there are a few cameras that show something else.

Familiar figures, dressed in purple and white, armed with guns.

Revolve.

Asurei doesn't hesitate and immediately turns on the Eastern Branch's shields. He then starts talking into a microphone, which turns out to be some sort of intercom.

''To all personal! This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill!'' his voice is amplified and echoes through the hallways. ''We are under attack! Everyone to your positions. We _cannot_ allow the enemy access to the main building!'' the agent turns the intercom off and grabs a gun from beside his desk. ''Come on, we have to get outside. If they take the main building, they'll get a lot of information we cannot afford to lose.''

Then he sprints out of the main office, Kinako making sure everyone follows him. At the speed they're going, it only takes them a few minutes to reach the exit. The adults quickly make up the front, standing protectively in front of the teenagers behind them.

The area surrounding the Eastern Branch might've been damaged before, now it's completely ruined. Rubble and ash lies everywhere and the air is thick with smoke.

Before they can fight their way through the ruins, a purple blast shoots out of the smoke and hits the ground between the adults. A purple glow spread beneath them and then rises up, forming a solid cage of transparent, glowing violet walls.

They all try to destroy it, but to no avail. ''Don't bother,'' says a voice suddenly when Asurei and Kinako start shooting at the purple walls, ''you can't break it so easily.''

A silhouette appears through the smoke and everyone tenses.

The figure's face is revealed when he comes closer, stopping a little ways from them. Black and red hair, an icy blue eye, an indigo and white uniform.

Only a moment later, Nagai is joined by the rest of Revolve.

Their captain smirks as he scans the ones standing in front of him. ''Well, well, well,'' he starts, his voice as smooth and honeyed as it always is, yet with the tiniest bit of mocking as well. ''How nice to see you all again.''

''Shut up, bastard,'' hisses a voice and Nagai turns his gaze towards Tsurugi. Revolve's captain raises his eyebrows at the furious glare shot his way. His lips tilt upwards into a condemning smile and Raimon's ace grits his teeth.

''Why so aggressive?'' asks the black-haired teen, for the first time noting that the teenagers seem more furious than any of the other times he met them. ''Something happened,'' he concludes after a moment of pondering. The tightening of their expression tells them enough. Revolve's captain contemplates what it could be when his eyes land on Tenma, and his smile widens to a vicious grin. ''So they finally found out, didn't they?''

The navy-haired teen next to him seems to understand what he's in implying, for he smirks as well and takes a few steps forwards, his navy eyes zeroing in on Raimon's ex-captain. ''So in the end they connected the dots about their dear captain,'' mocks Neji, his grin widening when the brunet narrows his eyes. ''Oh please, don't look at me like that. I know you, Tenma. You would _never_ tell Raimon the truth.''

''So it's true?''

Neji's gaze moves to Shindou. The current captain has a conflicted look on his paler-than-usual face, and navy eyes light up in realization. ''Came at a bad time, didn't we? Haven't had the time to sort out your… issues?''

The next moment goes faster than anyone can comprehend.

Neji suddenly shoots forward, moving so fast that they lose sight of him. A second later he reappears, next to Nagai, but this time holding someone else's arm tightly. ''What the-'' the moment he realizes what's going on, Tenma starts to fight against his captor. In response, Neji only grips his arm tighter and the brunet winces at the now painful hold. ''Ah!''

Shindou's eyes widen in alarm. ''Let him go!''

Nagai laughs at his cautious expression, waving his worries away with one hand. ''Please, don't bother,'' he says, still chuckling. ''This is not your captain.''

''What?!'' cry several voices.

Tenma stares at Revolve's captain in incomprehension. ''What are you talking about?''

The black-haired teen smiles, yet it is a chilling one. He completely ignores the brunet and instead focuses on Raimon. ''I wouldn't be worried about him if I were you,'' he tells them sweetly. ''After all, this is not your real captain.'' At the incredulous expressions, his polite smile widens to a wicked one. ''You didn't honestly think we'd let the last Second Stage Child go, did you?''

''What?'' whispers the brunet, staring at him with wide eyes.

Still Nagai ignores him, only paying attention to Raimon and very much enjoying their stunned expressions. ''The one you see here,'' he gestures to Tenma but doesn't bother to look at him, ''is not the real Matsukaze Tenma.''

Silence.

For a moment, neither group speaks, and then Shindou manages to find his voice again. ''What are you saying?''

The two captains stare at each other, one pale-faced and cautious, the other wicked and victorious.

''He's not the real Matsukaze Tenma,'' repeats Nagai. ''He's fake.'' One icy blue eye narrows cruelly, that chilling smile still on his lips. ''We're not stupid. We're not going to give up the key to our plans, so instead we created him.'' Revolve's captain seems to thoroughly enjoying the dramatic mystery.

''What Nagai is saying,'' starts Neji when he believes his captain is staying silent for too long, ''is that the Matsukaze Tenma here,'' he tugs on Tenma's arm and the brunet gives a sharp cry of pain, ''is a clone.''

Silence, and then…

'' _What?''_

Tenma's mouth feels dry as he stares at Neji and Nagai, his mind going a mile a minute.

A clone.

It's impossible, his memories tell him it is, but when he thinks about it a little longer, the dots finally start connecting. How did he not see it before?

This is their perfect plan B.

* * *

 **Whew, that's done!**

 **I'm actually not all that happy with the second half of this story, but it was so hard and it took such a long time to write that I'll just upload it now. I really don't feel like trying to write it _again._**

 **Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter!**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	10. Monster

**Hi guys!**

 **Sorry for the wait, I had a writer's block. Now, though, I finally have some new inspiration!**

 **Anyway, onto the reviews!**

 _ **Dierengek01:**_ **I'm glad I can be surprising, this is supposed to be mystery, after all! Sorry for the wait... writer's block :(**

 _ **And then the sky:**_ **Glad you liked the twist! I'm happy you enjoy my stories so much :)**

 _ **Coco Baldwin:**_ **Glad you like it!**

 _ **TokutsaLuv:**_ **I won't spoil anything, but the real Tenma's fate will be revealed soon enough!**

 _ **ShadowStriker:**_ **Surprise~! Nice twist, right? How do I come up with this stuff, you ask? No idea. I'm trying to kill you? How did you kno- uh, I mean, of course I'm not! That's absolutely ridiculous!**

 ** _Mistylove:_ Glad you liked it! And thank you for the birthday wish, I had a great birthday!**

 _ **Sonia Kumar:**_ **Muhahaha, gotta love plot twists! I hope your exams went well!**

 _ **Hey:**_ **:'D wow Yaa-chan, I feel so loved**

 _ **AmyGolden1104:**_ **I'm happy I can still surprise you guys~! I just do what I do best, annoy people... only in this case, it has a little more evil to it (gotta love plot twists)! About Tenma... he is messed up. Really, really messed up, and it shows in this chapter. I'm warning you, this isn't a happy story. Kinako is awesome, I love Fei too, and Asurei is going to have a bigger role here than in the anime. He's not a bad guy, so I hope you'll at least be able to tolerate him. I heard about Inazuma Eleven Ares, yes. I'm not too happy with it, because while I don't like it that Tenma isn't there, I still love the series without him. What I don't like, though, is that they take all these characters we've gotten to know and love and just... erase all that character development. I've been watching Outer Code, but I can't find a sub video so I haven't finished it yet... since Outer Code only has short episodes, I really can't judge...**

 _ **xXxFeiRune11xXx:**_ **Muhahaha, that was the point~! If I don't update for fourty days, don't think I'm dead. I most likely have a writer's block when that happens, so I'll apologize in advance - I can't really say anything about when I have inspiration to write. Time Twins is on hiatus, but I have no idea when I'll get back to it :/**

 _ **xHopeGurlx:**_ **Hi there! I'm glad you liked the previous chapter! If that chapter hurt, I don't want to know your reaction to this one... I apologize in advance...**

 _ **annalisa7:**_ **Sorry for the wait, had a writer's block :(**

 _ **hgf:**_ **Sorry for the wait... I hope you enjoy this chapter too!**

 _ **Meri7:**_ **Sorry, sorry! Writer's block! :/**

 _ **Cielmatica:**_ **Ehehehe... if you felt bad for Tenma then, I wonder how you'll react to this chapter... well, I'm not spoiling anything about the clone thing, you'll just have to figure it out for yourself. I'm glad you like it!**

 **JEEZ GUYS I wanted to upload this before going to bed, but now I'm twenty minutes further and I've only now finished with the reviews :'D**

 **Disclaimer: don't own**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

 **(a monster)**

 **.**

 _Black spots dance across his vision and the last thing he sees before blacking out is his team, battered and hurt._

 _He wakes up in a room with white walls and unforgiving lights beating down on him. Though it doesn't physically make him shiver, it is cold and, most of all, lonely. There is nothing, nothing except white walls, white floors, bright, white lights, and a locked door. There are no sounds, no smells, no distractions. It is empty and he thinks,_ they will find me.

(they will find me)

 _They don't._

 **.**

Neji's hand on his arm hurts. He's not trying to be gentle at all, digging his fingers in the brunet's skin harshly. His nails leave small imprints, barely not breaking skin.

Tenma could free himself with a flick of his free hand.

He doesn't.

 **.**

 _He screams and cries and fights against his captors, as they spill his blood and coat the too white floor a dark red._

'' _They will not come,'' they say, and he screams at them to shut up._ They will, _he tells himself._

(they won't abandon me)

(I trust them)

(they'll come)

 _They don't._

 **.**

He hears their shouts, sees their confusion and fear and desperation.

He watches them fight, using their barely figured out weapons, aiming desperately but at what he's not sure. He sees, more than hears, how Nagai orders to put up a shield to protect them from the attacks.

 _(why do they fight?)_

 _(it's useless)_

He sees their desperation and their fear. They know they will lose.

He sees it and he thinks, _they deserve this._

 **.**

 _He doesn't know how much time passes._

 _The lights are always on, bright and unforgiving and so, so cold._

 _He has questions, but the only answer they give him is more pain. Pain, pain, pain, so much pain, and he tries to remember what it feels like not to hurt._

 _Tries to remember what it is like to breathe freely._

 _(they will come, they have to come)_

 _(they have to)_

They will find me, _he says, or tries to say- his voice is hoarse and barely audible after all the screaming. His throat feels like it's on fire, and he wonders how it's possible to feel so much agony at once._

 _He waits for the pain that will surely come, like the other times he insisted that he will be rescued._

 _It doesn't._

 **.**

They keep fighting, but he's not sure what for. To protect themselves?

Revolve is not attacking.

 **.**

 _It is dark, they have turned the lights off for the first time, and he can't see a thing._

 _It is also cold, for they have taken the warmth that the light brought. He can feel it as it settles in his bones, and he thinks that if he was able to see anything, his breath would be a little white cloud._

 _He is cold, freezing, but he doesn't move._

 _He feels the chill on his skin, he feels the floor under his body, and he feels the blood under his hands, his head, his back._

(I have to hold on, I need to hold on)

(this will end)

 _He can't remember what they did to him. He only knows that it hurts. It leaves his mind hazy and his thoughts muddled._

 _He thinks and he remembers, but his mind can't focus on a single thing._

 _Sky. Sun. Sasuke. Grass. Rice balls. Snow. Red. Birds. Laughter. Water. Heat._

(this has to end)

(it will all end soon)

 _He thinks of running, of wind and of teamwo-_

(no)

(stop)

(don't go there)

 _He tries to remember it, the happiness._

 _He can't._

 **.**

Revolve is not attacking, but then Nagai nods.

They fire with their own guns, driving their enemies back. Even someone who doesn't know anything of fighting can tell that they will not come out of this unharmed.

It's a miracle no one is fatally wounded.

 _(oh, the irony)_

They would've been, if Revolve didn't start to retreat.

''We've got what we came for.'' Nagai turns his back to Raimon and a portal of indigo light opens behind his team.

Tenma doesn't resist as Neji pulls him to the portal.

The fire has stopped, a shield now separating them.

They are all looking at him and he doesn't know whose gaze to respond to.

Instead, he looks down.

Then he's pulled through the portal.

 **.**

 _He thought,_ they will come, _and they didn't._

They will save me, _but they didn't._

'' _It's time for the next part,'' says Nagai – he has finally learned their names – and the lights dim as Revolve's captain walks towards the door._

 _Then he stops._

'' _You will help us destroy El Dorado.''_

 _Nagai leaves and with him, the light._

 _It is cold and it is dark and he thinks,_ I won't help them, I will never help them, _and the voices he has become accustomed to over the past few months laugh._

(you won't?)

 _They ask and they laugh some more._

(who are you trying to fool?)

 _He squeezes his eyes shut and thinks,_ I don't know.

(I don't know.)

* * *

''Welcome back.''

Tenma glares but doesn't dare try anything. It's useless and will only result in him getting locked up.

He wants answers.

He knows that Nagai knows, and Nagai knows it too.

The rest of Revolve leaves them and they both stay silent, even after the door has closed and given them the privacy both yearn for.

It's a room he's familiar with. It's round and high, without windows and with a door on one side. It's as white as the cells, but not as cold. The only thing that stands out is the round, black table standing in the middle of the room, six black leather chairs surrounding it.

Tenma would almost say that it hasn't changed, but it has.

There is a doorway without a door. There is nothing behind it, except for the same white wall. It's only the shape of a doorway, build into the wall, the same monotone color as the rest of the room. Above the structure is a circle that could be mistaken for black, if it wasn't for the indigo shine.

Last time he was here, it wasn't completed yet.

He focuses on Nagai again and breaks the silence with a simple, ''why?''

Revolve's captain smiles pleasantly and tilts his head. ''Why what?''

If it's meant to infuriate him, it doesn't work. Instead he keeps staring at the teen in front of him, two empty chairs on each side of him.

''You have questions,'' says Nagai when he stays silent too long. ''Ask them.''

'' _I will not lie in this room,''_ whispers the memory of the teenager sitting in front of him. Tenma doesn't remember how long it's been since he was first brought to the truth room, and he doesn't particularly care.

''Why would you take me when you have the real Matsukaze Tenma?''

Nagai grins, everything that may have looked pleasant about him disappearing. ''I think you may have forgotten this, in the weeks you've been _free,''_ he stretches the word but Tenma doesn't react. Revolve's captain doesn't seem very bothered by it. ''You're a weapon. Clone or not, your powers are strong, and we can't let El Dorado have such a strong asset.''

The brunet's face is expressionless as he nods.

''Then why did you send me to Raimon in the first place? Why make the deal, if it was fake all along?''

Nagai tilts his head and his face tightens only the slightest bit. ''Why is this relevant?''

Now it's Tenma's turn to tense. ''Why is it not?'' he returns, his voice as monotone as the white walls surrounding them.

''You're asking the wrong questions.''

''Am I?''

Revolve's captain isn't happy. It's obvious to those who know him well. ''Don't test my patience. Maybe you've forgotten what we can do to you. If you piss me off, I'll send you right back to the torture you so desperately tried to escape.''

Tenma nods slowly, thoughtfully.

''Why did you clone Matsukaze Tenma?''

Nagai smiles sharply.

He's asking the right questions now.

''Because we needed a distraction,'' answers the captain. ''A way to bait El Dorado.''

''Through Raimon?''

They both know it's not a question.

''Yes, through Raimon,'' confirms Nagai. ''We knew Matsukaze Tenma wouldn't talk and his clone wouldn't either. It was a safety measure. If El Dorado found out about Matsukaze Tenma, we would need a way to lure them to us, and that would only work if they thought he was still alive. They needed proof of his survival, and your presence, as a distraction, would mean that the real Matsukaze Tenma is alive.''

Grey eyes narrow.

''You want to create a trap for them.''

Nagai smiles and it would look nice if it wasn't for the sharp edge to it. ''Yes. Do you care?''

He thinks about their distrust of him, their stunned expressions when they learned who Matsukaze Tenma really was. He thinks of blood and pain and screaming, and of yearning and fearing and drowning.

He thinks of being free yet being shackled at the same time.

 _(and even now you ignore the most important part)_

He thinks and he ignores the voices.

 _(before)_

They say.

 _Fuck off,_ he tells them.

He thinks of Raimon as he saw them last, fighting Revolve, and he says, ''No.''

''This is the truth room,'' Nagai reminds him, still smiling.

''I know.''

''Then why do you lie?''

The brunet doesn't lash out, like Revolve's captain might've hoped, and instead only tilts his head slightly. ''I don't.''

Nagai shakes his head in condescending amusement, as if he's talking to a stupid child. ''I don't believe you.''

''Fine, then don't.''

''Neji seems to think you still care,'' he says it as if he's merely making a comment about the weather.

The brunet rolls his eyes. ''Neji is a psychopath,'' he mutters and Nagai stifles a chuckle.

He's done with it, but the captain clearly isn't. ''I'll believe you if you look me in the eye and tell me you hate them.''

It's a test and they both know it.

 _(funny how you can't lie, not even to your own enemy)_

He thinks of pain and fear, darkness and cold. He remembers thinking _they will come,_ he remembers thinking _they will rescue me._ He remembers more blood and more pain.

He doesn't need to remember the anger. It's right here.

It burns and it rages, but if it hurts he doesn't feel it.

He thinks of Raimon, and lets the fire in his mind devour them.

Tenma meets Nagai's gaze without hesitation and says, ''I hate them.''

They both can tell truth from lie.

 _(at least now you're not lying anymore)_

And Nagai smiles and responds,

''Good.''

* * *

They have chained him, and while usually he could easily break them, these are specials chains.

They block his powers.

Tenma shoots Neji an annoyed glare as the teen leads him through the familiar halls of the headquarters. From the high ceilings, cold white lamps beat down on the grey, tiled floors. The walls are bare and as white as always, with white doors at regular intervals.

Neji sees his glare and rolls his eyes. He shoots the brunet a smile, as if they're old friends. ''Could you get any happier?''

''Could you get any more annoying?''

''It was a rhetorical question.''

''Mine wasn't.''

The navy-haired teen rolls his eyes again. ''Snarky as usual.'' He places a hand on Tenma's shoulder as they're about to pass one of the white doors. ''We're here. This will only be a temporary cell though, until your old one is prepared.''

The brunet only narrows his eyes and watches silently as Neji grabs a key. The navy-haired teen pushes his prisoner inside and follows him, closing the door behind them.

Tenma glares at him for a moment longer and then takes a look at the new hallway they're standing in.

He freezes.

Neji keeps a close eye on him and a feral grin splits his face when he notices the reaction. ''Recognize this, don't you?''

He doesn't wait for a response and instead starts walking down the hall, grabbing Tenma's arm and pulling him along none too gently.

On both sides of the corridor are rooms, bars separating them from the hall itself, and white walls between them to create a block of cells.

 _(no)_

 _(anything but this)_

They stop at the end of the hallway, where the light in the ceiling is broken and the cells are casted in shadows.

 _The floor is stained dark–_

–it's clean.

 _A smeared handprint on the wall–_

–even in the shadows, it's a pristine white, like the rest of this place.

 _(you deserve this)_

The cell door doesn't make any sound as it's opened.

– _a sharp note, going on and on–_

 _Screaming._

He stumbles forward as he's pushed inside the room. The cell door shuts behind him, the lock clicking in place as the key is turned.

His back is turned to Neji, but his captor doesn't care.

''Welcome home.''

His voice echoes and dies away as his footsteps retreat–

– _the screaming, it_ _ **won't stop–**_

–until finally, they disappear completely.

Tenma falls to his knees.

He can't breathe.

 _(red, red, red, there's so much_ _ **red**_ _)_

 _His clothes are sticky and his fingers are coated in some kind of liquid that has only half dried. It's on his face, too, but only one the side that isn't pressed against the white tiles._

 _He pries his eyes open._

 _The familiar sight of the hallway, but it doesn't explain any of… this._

 _He lifts one of his hands to his face, palm outwards. It's normal, nothing out of the ordinary. He turns it around and his fingers are coated in something dark and half-dried._

 _An unwilling gasp breaks free from his lips as he turns his head, wincing at the crick in his neck–_

(what the…)

– _the floor is covered in the same dark liquid._

(blood…?)

 _There's so_ _ **much.**_

(is this mine?)

(it's so– much)

 _It's everywhere._

 _His eyes are slowly getting used to the lack of light and when he can finally make out more than just the floor directly next to him, he sees it._

 _There's… something on the other side of the cell._

 _He pushes himself in a sitting position, ignoring the dull ache that spreads through his body, and tries to make out what the_ thing _is._

 _He starts to recognize the shape, as dark as it may be, his eyes moving up until they see–_

– _and he_ _ **screams.**_

* * *

He and Fei, despite sharing a room for a few nights back at Saint Elda, have not returned to their former friendship.

In fact, they have barely talked to each other, and if they did, it was a mix of sarcasm and insults.

Fei knows he doesn't sleep well. It's a given if they share a room.

There are many times the two have spoken while on friendly terms.

 _(not friendly – honestly)_

 _(or as honestly as you can be)_

Only one of those conversations was after his three years of capture.

'' _Why do you hate Raimon?''_

What a simple question to start with. So, so simple, but with so much meaning behind it.

He stayed silent, at first, but Fei has patience. So eventually, he answered.

 _(it's only because you wanted to rile him up)_

 _(as if you could ever be honest)_

'' _They remind me of something I used to hold dear.''_

Well, that had certainly caught his roommate's attention.

'' _What, exactly?''_

'' _My own team.''_

 _Tenma kept his gaze locked on the ceiling as he answered. He didn't bother with sitting up. It was too dark. He would never be able to see Fei in the bed on the other side of the room, nor did he want to._

'' _Your team?''_

 _Curious, inquiring._

(ignorant)

 _A bitter laugh, sharp in the night. ''Yes, my team.''_

'' _What happened to them?'' Fei wasn't done with this conversation yet._

'' _I don't know. I don't care.'' Then, a pause. ''They didn't care what happened to me either.''_

 _He heard movement from the other side of the room. ''You said they don't remember you.''_

 _Even though his roommate can't see him, he shrugs. ''Who cares.''_

'' _You're blaming them. For something they don't have any control over.'' Another pause. ''Are you really that selfish?''_

 _Tenma rolls his eyes. ''I don't need you to lecture me about selfishness. You pushed your own friends away when they only tried to help you.''_

 _Fei's voice tightens. He tries to hide it, but there's anger shimmering beneath the surface. ''I learned.''_

'' _So did I.''_

'' _I doubt that.''_

 _He could stop now, but he doesn't. ''No, I did. I was once like you are now. I cared for my team. Loved them.'' He laughs, coldly, cruelly. ''Then I learned.''_

'' _That's not what that lesson is supposed to teach you!'' there was anger in Fei's voice now, not hiding beneath forced calm anymore. But there was also something else, something unreadable. ''I've been there, and trust me, it's not right. If your words are true, you should know that. Your team is a gift, they're your friends and you cherish them.''_

'' _Fuck off.''_

'' _Matsukaze–''_

(shut up)

(can't you see that I know?)

(you're right, I know that)

(of course I do)

 _He pushed himself up, a glare burning on his face. ''Stop telling me what to do,'' he hisses furiously. ''I don't care about you, about what happened to you and about your wise life lessons. I've been there, I know perfectly well what you mean. But you don't know what_ I _mean. Why should I cherish my friends when they left me to rot? They_ forgot me, _what a pathetic excuse. I gave my freedom for them, I bled for them! And what do I get in return? Hatred, fear and more pain. And guess what? I deserve it. I fucking_ deserve it. _Don't say our situations are the same, when they're anything but. You know_ nothing _about me and don't think that will ever change!''_

''Matsukaze!'' _Fei exclaimed as he sat up too. ''You don't understand anything, I only want to help!''_

 _And then Tenma was screaming, not caring about who he woke up anymore. ''Do not dare, do not dare to pretend to care about me! Do not say you want to help me when, for_ three fucking years, _I have begged for those I called my friends to save me! You know nothing, YOU KNOW NOTHING!'' his screaming turned to sobbing, cries and gasps tearing themselves from his throat. He hugged himself tightly. ''I was tortured until I lost my mind! Don't you dare say that you want to help me when I have prayed for someone to do exactly that and no one heard it!'' he lashed out, not caring about the repercussions anymore. ''I've endured pain like you'll never feel in your life, and I_ deserved it! _You don't know what I've done! You don't know and you never will, so don't you_ dare _say that you_ understand me!''

 _Fei climbed out of bed and took a step towards him. ''Matsukaze!''_

 _He moved away until his back hit the headboard of the bed. ''DON'T COME NEAR ME!'' he raged and Fei froze. ''I held on, have you any idea how long I held on? I told myself, over and over again, that you'd come for me, that you would figure it out and would save me! I held on because surely,_ surely _you'd care enough to notice the missing pieces, you'd realize something was wrong! I thought you would catch me, but you didn't even watch_ as I fell! _You let me fall, YOU LET ME FALL! You didn't even try to hold on,_ you didn't even bother to look at me! _I hate you!''_

 _Through the haze of tears in his eyes, he could see how Fei stood, frozen in place. ''Matsukaze-''_

'' _Leave me alone! Don't you dare, don't you dare say anything when you couldn't even bother to look at me!'' he screamed, his fist hitting the mattress. A bitter laugh tore itself from his throat. ''I'm not even surprised, I'm really not. Why would you care? Why would you? I'm a fucking monster! People hated and feared the Second Stage Children for a reason, because they were_ monsters, _and I'm the last monster left! Every drop of my blood that was spilled, every cut and burn that they gave me, I deserve it! I should've died years ago, it would've been better for everyone if the monster was dead! You shouldn't have taken me with you, you should've left me to die at the hands of Revolve because that's the only thing that I could ever hope to achieve!''_

 _Fei was speechless._

'' _Leave me alone,'' he hissed, his eyes flashing with hatred. ''Leave me alone, leave me alone, LEAVE ME ALONE!''_

(after all, who would bother with someone like me?)

(no, not someone)

(something)

(that's all I really am, after all)

 **(a monster)**

* * *

 **Yeah, that just happened. I don't really know what to tell you guys.**

 **I said it would be dark, didn't I?**

 **I'm not really sure about this chapter. It's different from anything I've written before, and it will continue to be different... so let me know what you think, alright? Because I really can't judge this.**

 **Anyway, I'm going to sleep now, because I have school tomorrow -_-**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	11. Memories

**Guess who's back? Guess who's announcing her return by uploading four different chapters at once? Yup, me!**

 _ **ShadowStriker:**_ **Buddy, it'll only get worse from now on. The ''dark'' is only just beginning!**

 _ **Sonia Kumar:**_ **I'm glad you liked the previous chapter! I admit, it was kinda dark, but that's what this story is supposed to be - I warned all of you XD I'm glad your exams went well! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!**

 _ **Meri7:**_ **Yup, definitely poor Tenma. I hope you like this chapter!**

 _ **Shiranai Atsune:**_ **Glad you like it! XD**

 _ **AmyGolden1104:**_ **...oops? I didn't mean to make you cry, at least not this time *sweatdrops* The clone thing is a little more complicated... I'm glad you like current Tenma. Don't worry, there'll be more sarcasm! XD I agree with you on Outer Code and Ares, I tried watching it and it's not bad, but it's not like the originals or even GO. I hope you enjoy this chapter and sorry for the wait!**

 _ **hgf:**_ **Raimon makes an appearance this chapter, don't worry!**

 _ **Dierengek01:**_ **Tenma has *a lot* of issues! As for what Raimon will do, just wait and see~!**

 _ **kino1453:**_ **All in due time!**

 _ **Kryzdrei Gonzaga:**_ **I'm glad you liked it and I hope you enjoy this chapter too!**

 _ **annalisa7:**_ **Sorry for the wait!**

 _ **Catmeoq123:**_ **Yes, it will continue!**

 **Disclaimer: don't own**

 **Now, enjoy!**

* * *

Revolve is gone.

So is Matsukaze.

Shindou stares out over the ruined wastelands that are the Eastern Branch grounds. He's on a part of the roof that is still stable, leaning on the barricade and letting the wind blow his hair around his face.

The sun is setting in the distance, painting the sky red.

It's been hours since Revolve's attack and Matsukaze's kidnapping.

''Hey.''

The teen startles at the sound of another voice, but doesn't turn around to see who comes to stand next to him. His companion leans on the barricade as well, neither of the two looking at each other. Content – if that's the right word – to look out over the remains of the battlefield.

''You okay?'' asks Fei finally, softly. He turns his head slightly, inspecting Shindou silently. ''You've been avoiding everyone for hours.''

The Raimon player doesn't really have an answer to that question.

''I don't know.''

Fei grimaces at that answer, but doesn't push. He can only imagine what his friend is going through and so turns his head away, instead looking at the dying sun.

For a long while, the only sound comes from the rustling of the wind.

There's a city in the distance. Far enough to be away from the fighting that took place at the Eastern Branch, but still close enough to be seen. It's painted a pitch black against the red canvas of the sky.

''We knew him.'' Shindou's voice is a whisper, barely audible above the sound of the wind. Fei can't hear it well enough, but he imagines that it must sound pained. ''It all makes sense now,'' adds the game maker, even softer if that's possible. ''His mixed reactions to us. He hated us yet- yet some things he said, some things he _did-_ they made it seem as if somehow, somewhere he cared for us. He wanted us safe from Revolve and- I'm not sure- I don't know if it was because he didn't want us to get in the way or if- if he actually still… cared for us. Really, truly cared for us.''

Now that the dam's broken, it doesn't seem like it's going to stop anytime soon.

''We looked so- so _happy,''_ whispers Shindou and his voice breaks. ''Tsurugi and I, and then- _Matsukaze,_ he looked so _happy,_ so light and cheerful and-'' he has to stop to swallow, his voice rough and his hands clenching the balustrade so tightly that the skin of his hands is turning white. ''What the hell happened to change him so much? What did we _allow_ to happen?''

Fei watches the suffering of his friend silently, but at that last question, he places a gentle hand on Shindou's shoulder. ''Hey,'' he says, kindly but with a hint of force in his voice, ''this was not your fault.'' Disbelieving brown eyes finally look at him. ''What happened to Matsukaze- it was because of Revolve. You tried to fight them, but they were too strong. They _removed your memories,_ Shindou, there's no way you could've known.''

The game maker grits his teeth and sharply turns his head away, his hair blocking his expression. ''You don't understand!'' the scream is sudden, loud in the twilight, and causes Fei to take a step backwards.

He's never heard the other so desperate before.

Shindou doesn't look at him, instead turning his gaze to the ground below. His shoulders are uncomfortably tense and his face is still hidden in the shadows. ''He was our captain and- _I saw the way I looked at him!_ I don't know everything, I don't _remember_ it, but I know that he- he-'' he chokes on his words, shoulders shaking silently.

A single drop falls from his face and down into the ruins.

Fei can only stare.

''He hates us, Fei,'' whispers the elder. _''He_ _hates us._ Am I right?''

The other presses his lips together tightly, not daring to face Shindou as he gives his answer.

''Yes.'' His voice is surprisingly shaky and he almost chokes on the words. ''He- he does,'' he admits softly, looking away from his friend. ''But… if Revolve is right, the Matsukaze who has been with us this whole time was fake. You can't be sure that the real one feels the same.''

''And how can I be sure that 'the real one' _doesn't feel that way?!''_ screams Shindou, his head whipping up to look at Fei with desperate eyes. ''How do we even know Revolve was telling the truth?!''

And Fei stays silent.

Because really, how can they?

* * *

'' _Hey, are you okay?''_

 _His eyes snapped open, glowing faintly purple, and locked onto the figure in front of him. A hiss broke free before he could stop it and, despite his many injuries, he pressed himself against the wall._

 _The other teen – a boy – held up his hands. ''Woa, calm down! I won't hurt you,'' he said, watching the other with wary eyes. ''See? I'm not going to do anything.''_

 _The frantic caution in the brunet's gaze died down-_

'' _-everything, you really think you can hurt me?'' his voice was weak and barely audible, but the venom in his glare was burning._

 _Neji smiled and on anyone else, the expression would've looked placating. ''You forget one thing, Tenma,'' he said and grey eyes narrowed. ''It's so unbelievably easy for us to snatch one of your_ friends. _Would you want that? You say you can withstand our torture, but do you think_ they _could? They'd be hurting and scared and,'' his smile turned into a crazed grin,_ ''alone. _And no matter what you'd do, they would always be, because they don't remember you-''_

 _-someone was screaming, screamingscreaming_ screaming _and the only thing he could do was force his eyes open, he was too weak, couldn't lift his head or talk or think or anything, he was hurting, burninghurtingbleeding, and he couldn't-_

 _A scream, a bone-chilling scream, pain and_ anger, _''what did you do to him, you monsters! What did you_ do, _what did you do, how could you, what have you_ done? _You're going to kill him!''_

 _And then a terrifying voice. '''He'? Don't you mean 'it'?''_

 _A growl of rage. ''He's a person, just like you! He was_ alive, _you_ monster!''

 _And then there was_ pain, _white-hot, excruciating pain like he'd never felt before and he heard a scream and then another one and then-_

'' _-not again, please, not again, never, please, don't, I can't…''_

'' _Tenma!'' he recognized that voice and immediately threw himself at it. Warm arms wrapped around him, a voice shushing him, but he couldn't, he couldn't._

'' _I can't, please, I can't go through that again,'' he was sobbing but he didn't care, not again, never again, he'd rather_ die-

'' _-who…'' his voice broke, hoarse from screaming, and he coughed, tasting iron in his mouth. He tried again, but the only sound he managed to make were a few broken creaks._

 _The other teenager slowly moved closer. ''I'm-'' he hesitated. ''I don't know who I am,'' he said finally, softly. ''My memories- they did something to them, I can't remember my own name.'' He stopped once there were only a few feet between them, smiling weakly. ''You're- you're like me, aren't you? A Second Stage Child?''_

 _They stared at each for a very long time._

 _Tenma gave a single nod-_

'' _-you…'' his voice didn't sound right, and he could barely recognize it. ''You- you killed him, you_ killed _him…!''_

'' _No,'' whispered a voice, whose? Nagai's, Neji's? He didn't know anymore and he couldn't look away from the_ blood. _''We didn't kill him._ It _did.''_

'' _No,'' he choked, ''no, never, you're lying!''_

 _Hands on his shoulders, the voice close to his ear. ''Yes,'' came the whisper, ''it did. And aren't you the same?''_

'' _No no no no no,'' he kept repeating that word over and over again, tears streaming down his face._

'' _Yes,'' whispered the voice again. ''This is your fault. You might as well have been the one to kill him. It's all_ your _fault. He was your friend. No human could do that,'' a hand on his head forced him to look at the bloody floor again, ''to someone else. Only a monster could.'' Sympathy. ''You're a monster, Tenma, no matter what lies you-''_

 _-he stared at the unconscious person in the middle of the room, at the too-pale skin and closed eyes and red splatters from whatever horrid event he went through to cause him to end up like_ this.

'' _That's you,'' said someone – Neji, he said his name was. ''You're nothing more than a doll, a repeated experiment. There have been others like you. He,'' he gestured to the unconscious boy, ''is too important. We can't allow him to die. But we found a way around that.'' A predatory grin. ''You and the others, all very useful, and in the end, nothing gets lost. It's perfect-''_

 _-he trashed around, screamingscreaming_ screaming, _begging for it to stop, he'd rather_ die _as long as this could_ stop, _not again not again_ please _not again, he couldn't do this anymore._

 _Not again, not after all the other times._

 _But they were unforgiving and imagines and sounds and feelings flashed through his mind, even more_ pain _and why couldn't he just_ die _already? How could someone go through this much agony and still be_ alive?

 _Why couldn't they let him die?_

 _Tears, or blood, he wasn't sure, fell from his eyes and when black spots danced across his vision, he gratefully embraced them, anything to stop this torture-_

* * *

Asurei Rune yawns and reaches for his coffee, lifting the mug to his lips and grimacing when he realizes there's nothing left.

He's exhausted, almost four hours of constant research leaving him drained. Don't get him wrong, he trusts his employees, but this is something he wants to see for himself.

''Dad?''

It's a sign of how tired he really is when it takes him a few moments too long to look up at his son. ''Fei,'' he says, another yawn breaking past his lips.

The teen frowns in concern, throwing a look at the many empty mugs on his father's desk. ''Dad, when's the last time you slept? Or at least took a break?''

Asurei swears the boy gets that disapproving look from his mother. Only Kinako can show her displeasure when she believes he's acting stupid in one single look – the fact that Fei has his mother's eyes, with the exception of color, is not helping at all.

He smiles reassuringly, but his son doesn't look convinced. The opposite, in fact. ''I'm alright, Fei,'' he says anyway, despite easily recognize the _Look._ ''I'll stop soon, I'm almost done with this.''

Mint green eyes narrow.

Asurei is too tired for his son's stubbornness, again, inherited from his mother.

''You can stay, if you want,'' he offers wearily. ''Make sure I don't 'overwork' myself and help – I know that look and I know _you,_ son. You're restless.''

Fei concedes easily enough. ''Alright, someone has to keep an eye on you, after all,'' and he pulls up a chair, falling down in it.

Asurei can't help the way his lips twitch up at that. Why, oh why did he have to fall in love with such a headstrong woman as _Kinako?_ And _why_ did Fei have to inherit it? Those two are going to be the death of him, definitely.

Not that he minds.

The Future That Never Will Be, as he knows the teenage agents have started to call it, might never happen, but that doesn't mean they don't still retain the memories of their counterparts.

He lost his family once and he'd die before it happened again.

''So, what exactly are you looking at?'' his son's voice pulls him back to the present, and the man pulls up a few other holograms.

''The information we acquired from Revolve,'' he explains quietly. Fei tenses and Asurei places a gentle hand on his shoulder. ''Mostly things on Matsukaze Tenma,'' he adds. ''I want to know what Revolve wants with him, if what they told us is true.''

The teen nods sharply. ''I'll help look.''

They fall into a comfortable silence as they go through document after document, setting aside things to look at later and discarding things that don't have any use for them. An hour must've past – Kinako brought them coffee somewhere in the first twenty minutes, bless her – and Asurei's starting to think there really is nothing of use left, when a shaky ''oh my god'' catches his attention.

The only time he'd heard Fei so _horrified_ was in his other life, when he'd used his Second Stage Powers on his Raimon friends.

''Fei,'' he says softly, but his son's horrified eyes are fixed on the hologram in front of him. ''Fei, look at me.''

Mint green eyes, the same color as his own, finally turn to him. ''Dad,'' the boy chokes out, ''you have to see this.''

Asurei would much rather make sure the teen is okay, but Fei is already showing him the file. He scans it quickly but thoroughly, wanting to focus on his son but knowing he has to see what's wrong first, and with every sentence, he starts understanding the boy's reaction better.

''What is this?'' his own voice sounds strangely strangled.

'' _Matsukaze Tenma,''_ whispers Fei, distressed as he rarely is. ''This is- Revolve's list of data about him, about their- their _experiments-''_

Asurei takes one look at his face and then pulls his son into a hug, pressing him tightly against him.

That's all Fei needs.

A sob breaks free from his throat, desperate and pained, and he clings to his father, hiding his face in the man's shoulder. _''Oh my god,''_ he gasps out, trembling, ''oh my god-''

Asurei doesn't even want to _imagine_ what Fei's reaction would be if he still had his memories of Matsukaze Tenma, instead of only knowing they were once teammates.

Then and there, he vows that, no matter what, he'll save him.

Whatever happens, he _will_ get Matsukaze Tenma out of Revolve's monstrous clutches.

He has to.

* * *

''Is everyone here?''

Kinako enters Raimon and Earth Eleven's common room, together with Fei. Tsurugi nods in answer, raising an eyebrow at the look on Fei's face. ''What's-''

The woman shakes her head, a worried look in her eyes as she glances at her son. ''Asurei and Fei looked through Revolve's files,'' she explains softly. ''It was… bad.''

Her son flinches.

''Did you find anything?'' asks Shindou quietly, shooting Fei a reassuring smile. The boy returns it gratefully, if a little weakly.

Kinako nods slowly. ''A lot of things, actually,'' she answers, gently ushering Fei to the couch and pulling him down to sit next to her. The other teenagers gather around them, scattered over the couches and chairs, curiosity but also hesitance and fear in their tense forms. ''Most of it is either not relevant to you right now – incidents we investigated before we now have new information on – but Asurei told me you might want to see this.'' She takes some sort of USB stick out of her pocket, bright orange, and smiles at her friends. ''These are things about Matsukaze Tenma, videos and pictures, from before Revolve took him. Their research on him.''

She stays quiet, watching them absorb that new information. Understandably, it's a lot to take in, and part of her wonders just how much Matsukaze Tenma influenced their lives. According to her husband's research, he was captain of Raimon, Earth Eleven, and Chrono Storm, too.

''It's your choice,'' says Endou quietly, sharing a quick look with her.

A shaky breath from next to her pulls Kinako's focus back to her son. ''I want to watch it,'' says Fei resolutely, pale but determined.

She can understand the sentiment.

She _needs_ to know, needs to know more about the person she once, apparently, called her captain. Maybe even her friend.

It's a need shared by all of them and no one has to say anything. Their expressions, fearful yet sure, are enough.

So she quietly stands up and moves over to the hologram screen – their equivalent of a TV – and connects the flash drive to it. Soon enough, the hologram takes shape and she moves back to the couch, grabbing Fei's hand tightly. He squeezes it for a moment in support.

The first thing on the screen is a video of the brunet, looking as young and healthy as he was in the team picture from before, wearing Raimon's school uniform. _''Sasuke!''_ he calls, voice cheerful in a way they've never heard from the current one.

Fei's eyebrows draw together. Sasuke is the name of Aki's dog, so why-

The dog in question appears on screen, barking with enthusiasm the boy can't remember ever having seen before. Younger Tenma laughs as Sasuke jumps up at him, licking his hand. _''That tickles, Sasuke! Did Aoi take good care of you while I was away?''_

The mentioned girl tenses when she hears her name, followed by her own voice. _''Mou, I've known him for years, no need to be so worried!''_ she appears on screen, smiling warmly at the boy and the dog.

Tenma grins sheepishly yet the gratefulness in it is impossible to miss. _''Ah, I know. Thanks a lot for this, Aoi. Aki-nee takes care of him when I'm away, but he could use some good company and he likes you a lot!''_

Younger Aoi laughs softly. _''It's fine. So, how was Okinawa?''_

'' _It was great! Mom and dad were-''_

The video cuts off there.

No one really knows what to say.

''Matsukaze Tenma,'' says a voice from the doorway, softly, and Fei turns to see his father standing behind them. ''Originally from Okinawa. Moved to Inazuma Town when he was nine, with his dog Sasuke, to live with his relative Kino Aki.'' He nods at the woman herself, who's face pales drastically at that new information. ''He also met his childhood friend, Sorano Aoi, there.''

''I-'' Aoi's voice is choked, strangled, and her hands tremble. Her eyes are wide with terror. ''I don't remember any of this,'' she whispers and Midori wraps an arm around her for comfort. ''I don't- I don't know this, I don't _remember_ it-''

She takes a shuddering breath and looks back at Asurei. ''Please,'' she whispers, ''continue, I- I need to know more.'' Only then does Fei realize his father is holding the remote.

Asurei's brow furrows. ''Are you sure? If it's too much…'' but the look on her face says enough, and he forces his concern away. Instead he sits down next to Fei and Kinako, hitting _play._

The image that appears is one of a soccer field – a very _familiar_ soccer field.

''El Dorado's stadium?'' Fei isn't sure who said it, but no confirmation is needed. The blue grass tells them enough.

In fact, the scene is even more familiar to them. Two teams, Raimon and The Lagoon, scattered over the field. The camera zooms in on a figure on the ground, covered in sweat and gasping for air.

He pushes himself in a sitting position and they all recognize Matsukaze Tenma, wearing Raimon's uniform with a bright red band around his arm. _''Tenma!''_

Before anyone can even register the voice, a small body launches himself at the brunet, slamming into him and throwing him back on the ground. The brunet yelps, and the other Raimon players – who are running towards him as well, laugh and smile as if this is a scene they've seen too many times.

Even _Tsurugi's_ smile is soft and fond.

The Nishiki on screen grins down at the captain. _''We did it, Tenma!''_

The Nishiki watching it suddenly finds it very hard to swallow.

 _Tenma._ He'd called him by his first name.

The brunet laughs from where he's lying on the ground, Shinsuke leaning against him with a bright smile. _''Hai!''_

The camera zooms out to show the entire team, surrounding the captain, and the people in question can barely believe the expressions of exasperated fondness they can see on their own faces.

Screen Fei helps Tenma to his feet. _''We won,''_ he whispers, such vulnerability in his voice and face that the current Fei's breath catches in his throat.

And the brunet gives him a smile, kind and caring and trusting and understanding and _warm,_ and Fei suddenly realizes why his younger self acknowledged Matsukaze Tenma as his captain.

The video cuts off there.

Everyone waits, tense for the next image to appear, and it does only a few moments later.

'' _Are there going to be marshmallows? Please tell me there are going to be marshmallows, I love marshmallows!''_

Tsurugi's face – his younger one – comes into view, an annoyed expression on his face. _''Haven't you had enough sugar today?''_ he asks, looking at the person next to him – but no one can deny the soft look in his eyes.

Tenma pouts. _''Mou! You're acting mean again, Tsurugi!''_

'' _Hey guys, could you stop bickering and join us?''_ Shindou startles at his own voice, and a moment later his younger self comes into view – together with a large part of Raimon and Earth Eleven.

They're sitting next to a campfire, both teams together, and with a start, the strategist realizes that this was their combined training camp from three years ago. _''Yeah! Captain, we have marshmallows!''_ cheers Screen Sakura.

'' _Really? Yes!''_ the brunet hurriedly sits down next to her and she hands him a wooden stick with a marshmallow on it. _''Thank you, Sakura!''_

'' _Never knew you had a love for marshmallows, Captain,''_ says Ibuki from the other side of the field.

The brunet grins and Tsurugi – who has sat down on the tree trunk next to him – cuffs him playfully on the head. _''Stop that. I swear, you're worse than the time you hugged me after the Arakumo match.''_

Someone – Matatagi – chokes. _''Matsukaze, you_ hugged _Tsurugi? And you're still alive?''_

When Tenma merely grins and shrugs, Tsurugi shoots him a glare. _''Don't you dare tell them,''_ he says, but the threatening tone in his voice is glare. _''I_ will _hurt you. That's a promise.''_

'' _Nuh-uh!''_ the brunet shakes his head, grin widening. _''You got yourself kidnapped by an alien princess and then pretended to_ hate _me. I get to embarrass you as much as I want.''_

'' _You're never going to let that go, are you?''_ at Tenma's mischievous expression, Tsurugi groans. _''I swear, you're the most dangerous out of all of us.''_

The video cuts off there.

''No more,'' whispers Shinsuke, shaking his head, tears glinstering in his eyes. ''Please, I- I can't watch this.''

Asurei quietly pauses the film.

Fei, staring at the now black screen, swallows painfully. He tears his eyes away from the screen and instead looks at his friends.

Pale, shaky expressions, his own pain reflected in their eyes.

But behind that pain, there's something more.

A fire.

''I don't care what El Dorado says,'' whispers Tsurugi and there's a cold note in his voice that sends shivers down Fei's back, ''but we're going to take him back.''

''Tsurugi, you can't-'' Endou attempts to interrupt, but the forward shakes his head.

''No,'' he growls, orange eyes burning with resolve that is shared by all of Raimon and Earth Eleven. ''Even if he hates us, we're not going to let Revolve use him for their own purposes. We're getting _our_ _captain_ back.''

''I'll help,'' whispers Fei quietly. He can feel his mother tighten her grip on his hand, but she doesn't protest and so he keeps his eyes focused on Tsurugi.

The striker nods, some of the ice in his posture leaving.

Asurei takes that moment to speak up. ''Toudou won't let you,'' he says softly and when more than one teenager looks ready to protest, he quickly continues. ''But he gave Kinako and I responsibility over you. He won't have to know about our plans until we've already done it.''

Endou sighs. ''I was going to say,'' he says with a look at Tsurugi, ''that I won't allow any of you to just run in without a plan or backup.''

And finally, _finally_ the grim expressions are replaced by sharp grins.

Fei can feel a similar grin spread on his own face.

Whoever said Raimon wasn't dangerous definitely didn't know them.

They have a goal and they will get to it, no matter what – or _who_ – stands in their way.

Whatever Revolve has planned with Matsukaze Tenma, they better be prepared.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter and until next time!**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	12. Scream

**Welcome back to Warped.**

 **First of all, I want to thank everyone for the support they have shown me after my author's note in Accidental Reverse. I'll respond to the many amazing reviews there, but I wanted to say thank you anyway! You guys have no idea how much it means to me.**

 **Now, since it's late, I'll keep this short and move onto the reviews!**

 _ **Anime100:**_ **So far, I'm not quite sure how the story will continue. Raimon will remember eventually, but I don't know yet if the other teams will make an appearance. Please enjoy!**

 _ **Meri7:**_ **So am I, and thank you!**

 _ **Hoshi no Hoshi:**_ **You're welcome! ^.^**

 _ **Hey:**_ **Hey there! Thanks!**

 _ **UnicornTalesLol:**_ **Tenma was taken after the ''mysterious match'' from the first chapter that Raimon completely forgot about XD But that's all I will say about it! The sadistic motherfucker, as you call him, is Neji :'D You like dark? Well, then you'll certainly enjoy this chapter! Ooh, so you believe the clone story~?**

 _ **Sonia Kumar:**_ **Hm, it's going to take a little longer for Raimon to remember Tenma - there's some other stuff first! Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter! I think this chapter will only cause more questions, sorry... although it answers some stuff, too! I hope you enjoy this chappie too! (Wow it's been so long since I updated this, oops)**

 _ **Anonymous Person:**_ **No, it's not quite like that. It's not an AU, it's set after the Galaxy series - Tenma is taken after that, the Chrono Stone timeline is never changed, and Tenma's powers are _forcefully_ awakened. Revolve doesn't have much to do with what happened in Chrono Stone, but I can't say anything more about that without spoiling XD I can see why you'd think that, though!**

 _ **ScuroCielo27:**_ **Glad you liked it, I hope you enjoy this chapter too!**

 _ **Tenma287766:**_ **I was really busy and I lost all my inspiration, but I hope you like this chappie!**

 **Disclaimer: don't own**

 **Now, let's get to the real fun, shall we?**

* * *

''When are you going to kill me?''

Nagai pauses, turns to look at him. One eyebrow raised, amusement swirling in his one visible eye. He takes a sip of his tea, swirling the liquid in his cup and watches it, as if it holds the answer to understanding the universe.

''Must you put it like that? And please, drink your tea. It would be a waste to throw away perfectly good nourishment.'' As if to demonstrate, he takes another sip of his own cup, long and slender fingers curling around the fine china.

A glare is his only answer.

Nagai sighs, condescendingly, like he would if he was dealing with a particularly slow and troublesome child. ''You are as eloquent and delightful as ever.''

Tenma's glare only hardens. ''This is literally the first time we're drinking tea together, 'as ever'. And you didn't answer my question. When are you going to kill me?''

''You know,'' Nagai's lips quirk upwards in a charming smile, ''most people would sound a little less… composed, would they happen to talk about their possible death.'' He reaches for the plate of biscuits, taking one and dipping it in his tea for a few seconds. ''Will you really not drink your tea?''

''I should throw it at you.''

Nagai tuts and shakes his head. ''Tenma, Tenma, violence is never the answer, you know this. Must you be so aggressive?'' His pleasant smile grows and he sets his cup down, resting his elbows on the table and supporting his head with his folded hands. ''Now, I'll say it again. Please, drink your tea.''

The brunet narrows his eyes and, not breaking eye-contact, raises his cup to his lips. He takes a sip, small, and swallows almost immediately.

''Very good, well done!'' Nagai smiles lightheartedly, tilts his head slightly to the side. ''That wasn't so hard, was it?''

Tenma places his cup down, his hands resting on the fine porcelain. ''You still,'' he reaches for a biscuit, taking one and bringing it to his lips, where it hovers a few inches away from his face, ''didn't answer my question.''

The other male shifts so only one hand is supporting his head, the other taking his cup again and lifting it into the air. ''I'd tell you, I really would,'' he pauses for a moment to take another sip of the hot liquid, not reacting to Tenma's narrowing eyes, ''but truly, I do not see why I should. After all, you won't be around long enough for it to matter in the long run.''

Grey eyes flash purple.

Nagai's expression tightens. ''I'd appreciate it if you didn't do that.''

Tenma stares at him for a few moments longer, his gaze still glowing an eerie purple, and then he scoffs and his eyes fade back to grey. ''You said I won't live long enough for it to matter,'' he states, drawing figures on his porcelain cup, ''so it wouldn't matter either if you did tell me, isn't that right?''

They lock gazes again, both unreadable, and for a long while only silence hangs between them.

Then Nagai chuckles.

''Well well, seems like you have learned something after all, good job,'' he compliments, leaning back in his seat. ''Do tell me about your time with your delightful friends.''

''They aren't,'' says Tenma slowly, ''my friends.'' He casts an unreadable look at his companion, tilting his head slightly. A small frown pulls at his features. ''In fact, I have to ask. Clones? Is that really the best you can come up with? I think I speak for all of us when I say I'm disappointed.''

There's a moment of silence between them and then Nagai throws his head back, laughing. He almost spills his tea, but manages to avoid making a mess. Once he catches his breath, he wipes nonexistent tears away, shaking his head good-naturally. ''Come now, you cannot say it isn't a good joke.''

The brunet rolls his eyes. ''Your sense of humor astounds me.''

''Careful, wouldn't want to say something we'll both regret, now would we?''

''Only if you stop patronizing me.''

Nagai huffs an amused laugh, resting his chin on his hand as he leans forward, as if interested in something. ''You can't expect me to lie. This is the truth room.''

A single, unimpressed eyebrow raises. ''And yet you tell me to do the exact same thing. Hypocrite.''

Revolve's captain merely sighs. ''You chose this.''

Tenma grits his teeth, purple sparks flashing in his eyes before he manages to force his powers down, remembering Nagai's warning. ''You make it seem like I had a choice!'' he hisses out, the grip on his cup so tight the fine china might be in danger of breaking.

''Because you _did,_ Matsukaze Tenma,'' finally, finally the teen in front of him loses some of his composure. ''You chose Raimon's lives over your own and yet you keep denying any affection you hold for them. _You_ are the one who allowed yourself to be turned into our puppet if it meant sparing your team – _you_ are the one who goes along with our plans, for what?''

The captain pushes himself to his feet, his hands slamming down on the table. ''You go along with our lies, you are as much of an enemy to Raimon as we are, yet you say it is to save their lives? In exchange for your own? And you have never told us why you would do as such, especially if you hate them as much as you claim to do, which is something I would very much like to know!''

The tables have turned.

Nagai seems to realize that a little too late.

But Tenma is already grinning, all sharp teeth and bitter humor. ''Oh would you, now?'' he taunts. ''What was it you said again? At this point, no one knows me better than Revolve does? Turns out it isn't quite as true as you make it out to be.''

Their gazes meet, grey flecked with purple caught up in an icy blue one, and for a long moment, neither of them speak. The staring contest goes on for what feels like an eternity, but Nagai is losing and they both know it.

''Why are you risking this?''

The prisoner raises a single eyebrow, a silent gesture for the other to elaborate.

Revolve's captain tries to hide his annoyance, but the tightness of his jaw gives him away. ''After everything we put you through, why are you challenging me? Aren't you afraid of what we'll do to you? And all to protect people who abandoned you, people you hate?''

And Tenma throws his head back and _laughs._

( _they will never understand_ )

( _no one will, because they search for lies that aren't there_ )

( _it is a concept so simple no one, not Raimon, not Revolve, will ever understand_ )

Isn't that just hilarious?

* * *

Tenma wakes up to a kick in the ribs.

A grunt of pain rips itself from his throat as he curls in on himself, one arm protectively around his middle. The drowsiness that might have lingered after waking up is gone within seconds at the potential threat, and he's immediately on high alert.

Said alertness leaves when he catches sight of dark eyes staring down at him.

The brunet glares at his attacker, allowing the tension to flow from his body. Ignoring his companion for now, he takes a look around his cell. It's clean, although that isn't very surprising.

''Don't ignore me! Or I'll kick you again!'' comes the suspected whine.

Tenma glares up at the other teen. ''Or you could just say hello like a normal person.''

Neji grins, all sharp teeth and crazed eyes. ''Now where would be the fun in that?'' he sing-songs, crouching down next to the prisoner. The grin is replaced by a cheerful, excited smile. ''I got bored of waiting. How can you sleep so looong?''

The brunet rolls his eyes, not bothering to get up from the floor. ''First of all, you have the attention span of a squirrel on drugs. Second, there's a difference between falling asleep and passing out from blood loss.''

The dark-haired teen pouts. ''But that's no fuuun!'' he whines, sounding like a little kid asking their parents for candy. ''And the blood is so pretty!'' he grins for a second, before it disappears again behind a pout. ''Nagai made me clean it up, though…''

Well, that explains the positively _shining_ white floor.

Tenma glances down at himself, grimacing at the sight of faded bruises and almost-healed cuts on his arms. Deciding his powers have healed enough for him to sit up, he carefully pushes himself up, leaning against the wall behind him. Neji moves from his crouch to sit cross-legged in front of him, rocking slowly from left to right, and the brunet lazily tilts his head. ''No breakfast? Disappointing.''

The other teen waves his concerns away, giggling. ''Nagai said you slept so long, you missed out on breakfast!'' Tenma's eyebrows raise, he hadn't realized he was out that long. ''I'm not even supposed to be here! So don't tell him!''

Of course he is. ''Then why,'' mutters the brunet, ''are you?''

''Because I missed you!''

''Shame I can't say the same to you.''

And then another sharp grin, teeth flashing. ''Ah, I was wondering where all the sassiness had gone to,'' says Neji, the childlike note to his voice completely gone. ''Raimon didn't make you go soft, did they?''

Tenma rolls his shoulders, meeting the other's dark, clear eyes with an annoyed look of his own. ''Sorry for being a little _preoccupied_ by everything.'' He waits for the navy-haired teen to pout, or giggle, but he doesn't. ''You're surprisingly sane right now.''

A snort is his answer. ''You call this sane?'' he gestures to himself. ''But yeah, I suppose I am. Nagai needs me in my,'' Neji pauses, grinning sharply, _''right_ mind. Did you miss me?''

''Oh yes, absolutely. Your bloodlust is refreshing, certainly, but at least now you can understand my insults.'' He tilts his head, smiling mockingly. ''Most of the time.''

Neji laughs.

Tenma keeps smiling, eyes flashing purple.

His temporary companion stills, the smile melting from his face and a warning glare taking its place. Something flashes in the dim light and then Neji is holding a knife, almost defensively. ''Don't do that,'' he snarls in warning.

His only response is an even brighter flash of purple as the brunet tilts his head. ''Or what?'' he drawls, grinning at the narrowed look shot his way. ''You're going to kill me anyway.''

There's a low hiss, the cold glint of dark blue eyes reflected into the blade of the knife. Neji is suddenly in front of the prisoner, but the teen doesn't even wince.

''Nagai's pissed, you know.''

Tenma, decidedly, isn't impressed enough by that to bother formulating an answer.

The navy-haired teen shifts from his crouch until he's sitting cross-legged on the floor, absentmindedly playing with his knife. ''Your little session in the truth room pissed him off. You shouldn't lie while you're there.''

The brunet rolls his eyes.

''That you don't understand my reasoning doesn't mean I'm lying. The world isn't that black and white.''

''Maybe not,'' agrees Neji, leaning backwards a little, ''but you're… different. Two months ago, the only reason you were alive was because we made sure of it, but now…'' he watches the brunet, almost as if it's a riddle he can't find the answer to. ''You found something, didn't you? A goal.''

He frowns when there's no reaction, the prisoner's face carefully blank, now grey eyes staring past Neji and into the hallway to avoid locking gazes by accident.

''What is it?'' the hiss is long and drawn out, thirsting for an answer. Intense, dark eyes are locked on the brunet's face, hungry and crazed and _obsessed._ ''You have not awakened in _years._ This- this _resolve,_ it shouldn't exist. So why do I see it right now?''

He lungs forward, like a snake, and his hand coils tightly around the brunet's upper arm. Tenma hisses at the sudden pressure on his injuries, gritting his teeth when they're jostled even more as Neji pulls him close. The teen's eyes are dark, the knife forgotten on the ground next to him, although the brunet doesn't let that fool him – if he were to try anything, that same knife would be at his neck in seconds.

Since ignoring clearly isn't an option right now, the prisoner returns the glare, purple sparking in his eyes. ''You're a psychopath,'' he hisses, leaning back to create some distance between them. ''And a murderer.''

The laugh that follows is cold and harsh and it lasts for a few seconds too long.

Then Neji is grinning down at him, too wide, too twisted to belong to any sane person.

( _ha_ )

( _sane_ )

''Oh no,'' he laughs, the words barely holding together through his chuckles, ''no, no, no! You don't get to say that, you _monster._ I've killed but I've only killed abominations like you – without us, you wouldn't even be alive, would you? I'm only taking back what you owe us. _You_ on the other hand- you killed him, didn't you? You know you did! _You killed your own friend!''_

The brunet reels back as if slapped.

'' _Hey, are you okay?''_

Neji lets him, his lips curling into a grin that shows his teeth. Tenma moves backwards, eyes wide-

 _-his eyes snapped open at the sudden sound and his gaze immediately found the figure on the other side of the cell. He hissed, almost animalistically and he pressed his back against the wall even though his injuries screamed in protest._

 _The other teen – a boy – held up his hands in the universal peace sign. ''Woa, calm down! I won't hurt you,'' he said, his eyes wary and guarded as he watched his new companion. ''See? I'm not going to do anything.''_

 _The brunet paused at that, not able to detect any lie from the boy, and he slowly,_ slowly, _relaxed-_

Is he breathing?

He's not sure. He might be, but if he is, he can't feel it. Somewhere in the back of his mind he's aware of Neji in front of him, laughing and laughing and laughinglaughing _laughing,_ but it doesn't reach him.

'' _-who…'' his voice was hoarse and he couldn't finish his question. When he coughed, he could taste the blood in his mouth._

 _The other teen slowly moved closer. ''I'm-'' he paused. ''I don't know who I am,'' he finished softly. ''My memories- they did something to them, I can't remember my own name.'' There were only a few feet between them now and the boy settled down, crossing his legs and smiling weakly. ''You're- you're like me, aren't you? A Second Stage Child?''_

 _They stared at each for a very long time, neither daring to say something._

 _Then Tenma gave a hesitating nod-_

He clamps his hands over his ears, as if he can block out the voices from so long ago. They echo through his head and he clenches his eyes shut but the only thing he sees is _purple,_ purple everywhere, and they snap open again. Yet the purple doesn't disappear, it only darkens with shadows as it swirls around him, coating his skin in an inhuman glow.

 _Tenma was painfully aware of the new presence in his cell._

 _How long had it been? Days? Weeks, maybe?_

 _The other teen wasn't always there. Sometimes a Revolve member would come for him, sometimes they came for Tenma, and they'd be lead out of the cell and towards their own personal torture. Never together, though. The risk of escape was too big with two Second Stage Children._

 _They didn't speak. Tenma shied away from any contact, but he could feel the boy's eyes on him when he wasn't looking._

His lips are moving, forming words, but it takes him too long to register their meaning.

''Stop it stop it stop it stop it-''

His voice is almost inaudible as he repeats his mantra, over and over and over again, and he doesn't know if Neji is watching. He could've left by now and Tenma wouldn't even know it.

Not that it matters, the psychopath wouldn't be able to get to him anyway. The purple aura swirling aura will attack anyone coming too close, and Neji has had enough close calls not to risk it.

Tenma doesn't care.

 _It must've been at least a week, probably longer, when the silence between them is finally broken._

'' _What's your name?''_

 _The brunet froze at the sound of the other boy's voice._

 _Then he turned his back towards his cellmate, a clear dismissal, and curled up in one of the corners of the small room. He heard the other boy give a soft, disappointed sigh, but he didn't care._

 _(_ liar _)_

 _He ignored that little voice, pushing it to the back of his mind, and they fell into silence again._

 _Until-_

'' _Tenma.''_

 _The boy's head snapped up when the brunet spoke, for the first time since that first day they were put together, but Tenma wasn't looking at him. In fact, if he didn't see the tension lining the other's shoulders, he would've thought he'd imagined the barely audible voice._

 _Yet he didn't._

 _The boy smiled. ''It's nice to meet you, Tenma!''_

There's cold, seeping into his skin, into his _bones._

It freezes him, leaves him shivering and devoid of any warmth and he _still doesn't know if he's breathing._ His lungs burn, burn with ice, and maybe he's gasping or screaming or not doing anything but he doesn't know.

( _monster_ )

( _you're a monster_ )

 _They talked._

 _Sometimes they went without speaking for hours, other times they'd talk. Tenma would talk about what he remembered of the outside world, although the memories seemed blurry after a year of captivity – sometimes he wondered if it even existed, if there was something_ more _than these too bright lights and too dark shadows and the glowing purple and horrible, horrible red, or if he just made it all up._

 _His friend – were they friends? – would ask questions, with the same excitement of a child in a toy store, desperate to learn more of the world and maybe remember something that way._

'' _Hey Tenma?''_

 _The brunet opened his eyes, searching out the by now familiar green gaze. He'd been trying to sleep, but was in too much pain to really do so – seems like his companion realized that as well._

'' _What is it?'' he asked quietly, wondering if he had another question. He carefully pushed himself into a seating position since he couldn't sleep anyway, and immediately gentle hands reached out to help him up. He'd spent the morning in Neji's company, and although his cellmate had had a session only yesterday, his powers had already healed him quite a bit and was able to assist the brunet._

 _Green eyes looked away._

 _Tenma frowned at that. If there was anything he knew about his friend, it was that he never seemed to have any doubts. If he wanted to know something, he'd ask immediately – sometimes he couldn't shut up for hours – and if he was in pain he'd try to smile through it as to not worry anyone. He'd crack jokes that made the brunet laugh even though they weren't all that funny._

 _Even though he couldn't remember his own name, he was so incredibly_ alive.

 _And somehow, it awakened something in Tenma he thought to have lost. He didn't think he could talk or smile or laugh this much ever again, yet he did._

 _So to see the other so hesitant now, caused the brunet to frown. ''Hey, are you okay? What's wrong?''_

 _A soft, sheepish laugh. ''Ah, it's nothing, it's just a little embarrassing- forget it, please?''_

 _Tenma should've._

 _He would've, only a week ago._

 _Yet now, for some reason, he shook his head. ''No, tell me,'' he said and he didn't even know where the words were coming from. ''What is it?''_

 _Green eyes hesitantly glanced up at him, a weak smile curling on his friend's lips._

'' _Would you… give me a name?''_

 _The brunet paused._

 _(_ wait, what? _)_

 _The other chuckled awkwardly. ''Ah, it's weird, I know. Don't- don't mind me!'' he put on a smile, but it was a weak one._

 _Tenma didn't fall for it._

'' _A… name?'' he repeated, a frown crossing his face as he thought._

 _He knew a lot of names and he almost wondered if he should use one of his teammates for inspiration, but then immediately shook that thought away. That wasn't fair, not to his friends, who didn't even know him anymore, not to his cellmate – he deserved to be his own person, even if it was just for once in his life – and not to himself, either._

 _But then what…?_

'' _Kazuki.''_

 _Green eyes snapped up. ''Huh?''_

 _Tenma watched him, his lips curling up in a smile so small it was barely there. ''Kazuki. That's your name,'' he said. ''Kazu means 'harmony' or 'peace', and ki means 'hope','' he explained. ''Do you like it?''_

 _He watched as his friend repeated the syllables quietly, trying to get a feel for the name._

 _Then his green eyes lit up, a grin brighter than Tenma had ever seen it on his face._

'' _Hm! I like it!''_

 _And Tenma couldn't help but smile too, watching as his cellmate – as_ Kazuki _– bounced around the small space with renewed energy._

The light pulses around him, growing stronger with every beat of his heart, until the purple is swirling around the cell in a horrible imitation of his memories. It burns in his eyes and roars in his ears, everywhere and nowhere at once.

He doesn't even know if it's real or not.

 _Red seeped through his clothes and onto the white ground of the cell and that's when the silence was broken._

 _Someone was screaming, loud and horrified and angry and_ desperate, _and he blinked his heavy eyes open – it was the only thing he could do, too weak to lift his head or talk or think beyond the pain coursing through his veins._

'' _What did you do to him, you monsters?!''_

 _He'd never heard that familiar voice so terrified, and he sought out the source until he finally found Kazuki's form. He was restrained by some of Revolve's members, fighting and struggling with everything he had. ''What did you do, what have you_ done?! _You're going to kill him!''_

 _A terrifying voice, as familiar as Kazuki's, but completely different. '''He'? Don't you mean 'it'?''_

 _Tenma made a strangled sound of protest as he watched Kazuki partly break free from his captors and lunge at the teen in front of him. He couldn't call out like he wanted to, his voice failing him, and his limbs trembled from pain and fear as he saw his friend being restrained again. ''He's a person, just like you! He was_ alive, _you_ monster!''

 _Nagai didn't bother to respond, instead turning his cold blue eye towards Tenma._

 _And then there was_ pain, _white-hot, excruciating pain like he'd never felt before and he was screaming until his voice broke and he choked on his own blood-_

He remembers that, yet he doesn't.

Kazuki had fought, fought until they had to knock him out. It was the first time his friend had seen him like that, had seen him convulse as crimson stained his lips, had seen him gasp for air that wouldn't come.

It was the first but not the last time Kazuki had seen him die.

'' _Tenma!'' the brunet felt like he could cry at the sound of the familiar voice, and he threw himself at it. Arms wrapped around him, a voice shushing him, warm and gentle and safe._

 _He was sobbing. ''I can't- please, I can't go through that again,'' his voice broke, but he didn't care. The pain was overwhelming, frying every single nerve until all he could feel was the freezing fire, ''p-please…''_

He curls up into a tight ball, clenching his eyes shut even though it doesn't help. Purple light dances behind his eyelids.

( _no_ )

( _anything but this_ )

Is he crying? He thinks he might be- his body is shaking, his breathing heavy and unstable, and energy crackles through his veins.

''Stop it s-stop it stop it- stop it-''

His voice is breaking and he's stumbling over the words, sobs wracking his frame. The light only seems to grow stronger and he shivers at the overwhelming cold.

He's freezing, his fingers going numb.

'' _You're okay, it's okay,'' Kazuki's voice barely reached his ears, the comforting words distant and the warmth from the embrace drowned out by the sheer_ cold.

 _He was shivering now, something sparking underneath his skin, and he couldn't breathe, his lungs freezing yet burning at the same time as he gasped for air that wouldn't come-_

'' _Tenma-?''_

 _His body was shaking, uncontrollably, and he could hear his blood rushing in his ears-_

 _When he looked down, there was an aura of violet light gathering around him, growing stronger with every passing second. Kazuki next to him gave a startled yelp, moving backwards when the purple energy lashed out at him._

'' _Tenma? Can you hear me?''_

 _The brunet finally reacted at the sound of his name, turning his blank eyes towards the other teen._

 _There was no recognition in his empty gaze. The purple light swirled around him, growing stronger and stronger, as if it was compressed around the brunet's body._

 _Suddenly he tensed, unmoving-_

 _A surprised shout broke free from Kazuki's lips as he was suddenly flung backwards, and_ violet _exploded through the cell, and Tenma_ screamed-

He's so cold.

A weight pressed down on him, so heavy the air barely makes it to his lungs, and even though he wants to shiver, his body is so numb it won't move.

 _The floor was stained, a handprint smeared on the wall–_

Somehow, he manages to open his heavy eyelids, barely enough to catch sight of the world around him. There's a storm of violet swirling around him, the flares of energy cutting like blades.

– _an ear shattering sound, going on and on–_

 _(_ screaming _)_

 _And it_ _ **wouldn't stop,**_ _it was all redredred, there was so much_ _ **red-**_

The brightest glow, around him, keeps growing stronger and stronger, darkening to a deep, inky indigo.

 _There was red on his fingers and on his face too, the tiles of the cold floor beneath him._

 _And all he could do was stare at the dark stains-_

 _(_ it was everywhere _)_

The pressure is building until it's all he can feel, chaining him so that he's frozen in place.

( _and it's not even from cold_ )

( _isn't that ironic_ )

And then there's **agony.**

 _-until his eyes were dragged towards the other side of the cell._

 _There was something there, a shape he slowly started to recognize in the darkness, and his eyes moved upwards until he caught sight of dull, empty green–_

The world around him explodes ( _once again, just like that time_ ) and _everywhere_ there's violet and indigo and lilac-

 _-a_ nd h _e_ _ **sc**_ **r** _ **e**_ **a** _ **ms.**_

( _you killed him_ )

* * *

 **Soooooo... that happened.**

 **Tenma-centric. So yeah. Ma boi's got issues XD**

 **I know this chapter is confusing, but this actually has a lot of important information? Especially between Tenma and Revolve, and also about Tenma's powers/his time in captivity. It's dark, though... but I did say this story would be dark XD**

 **So, what do you think happened to Kazuki? This part builds further on one of the scenes from the previous chapter, and as you can probably see here, Tenma blames himself. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this!**

 **Anyway, I don't know when the next chapter's going to be, so bye for now! And again, a huge thank you for all the support I have received, you guys are absolutely amazing.**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


End file.
